


Crest Stones Are Forever

by Skeletor42



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Deviates From Canon, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Friendship, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 52,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26131588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeletor42/pseuds/Skeletor42
Summary: Byleth never questioned how little she knew about her past or her lack of emotions until a chance encounter with the Knights of Seiros and three young nobles. Her journey swiftly changes course when they take her to Garreg Mach and she's offered a position as a professor. Now she must open herself to new friendships and experiences to lift the veil of mystery that casts shadows on the academy.Claude takes it upon himself to help uncover these truths. He could never resist learning a good secret after all.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Jeralt Reus Eisner & My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan
Comments: 65
Kudos: 97





	1. The Beginning

At first, Jeralt found it hard to attach to the baby. How could he? She showed no emotions; it was unnatural and eerie. Of course, that didn’t prevent him from protecting her. She was a living reminder of all the happiness he had with Sitri, and he would lie down his life before any harm befell her. Sitri had chosen the name Byleth. He wasn’t particularly fond of it initially, but after news reached him of Sitri’s passing during childbirth, he could no longer think of a better name. He vowed that everything he did from that point forward would be for Byleth, in honor of Sitri.

The following days after Byleth’s birth, he tried to connect. Was it the lack of crying that made it difficult or that he felt he could do nothing but cry? Either way, he struggled. As the week progressed, he became more concerned. He’d be the first to admit that he wasn’t an experienced father, but there was no crying when hungry or soiled. Desperate for an explanation he took Byleth to the infirmary. The medic said she seemed healthy enough, but there was no heartbeat. Jeralt pushed for some explanation, but the medic shrugged, said there was a pulse, and seemed fine otherwise. He left with more questions than answers.

His questions led him to become suspicious of everything he had known in his life. He wasn’t sure what was happening but knew he no longer trusted anyone at Garreg Mach, especially Arch Bishop Rhea. He needed to escape with Byleth, to ensure she lived her life without the influence of the Church.

The fire was a blessing from the Goddess herself. Only two weeks after Byleth’s birth, it broke out at Garreg Mach and provided the cover Jeralt needed to escape. He left with Byleth, finally hopeful for the future they had. He may not have had his beloved Sitri, but their child gave him the strength to march forward. So, regardless of the lack of connection he felt towards the baby, through her, he felt connected to Sitri.

After leaving Garreg Mach Monastery, he took up work as a mercenary. It wasn’t the safest life, but it was work he knew and it provided for both of them. Eventually, he developed a reputation of being formidable and formed a mercenary company.

From a young age, Jeralt taught Byleth as best he could. His education focused more on handling weaponry and leading forces in battle though. Luckily, the money from his company allowed him to pay for tutoring in the towns they visited. It wasn’t consistent, but in the end, she learned to read and write and had a talent for math.

All the while he watched her grow. It became difficult to remember the time when she was a baby and he could only feign a true attachment to her. With each passing year, Byleth grew to look more and more like Sitri. He came to appreciate her quiet disposition. Her emotions never appeared strong, but he knew they were there and knowing was all he needed. Sometimes he would even spy a quick smirk when he was joking at the expense of his mercenaries. Their free days that they’d spend fishing were when she seemed most at ease, freely talking with him about their past battles and the last town they visited. Sometimes feeling content is all one could ask for anyway.

At some point, he can’t pinpoint when exactly, she started to join him on his missions. She was a master at wielding a sword and, on more than one occasion, proved to be more than admirable at grappling when needed. Her natural, quiet calmness allowed her to infiltrate bandit camps undetected and she could eliminate many of them before they would realize what was happening. All of this proved more than beneficial to his mercenary company and earned her the respect of her peers. They dubbed her Ashen Demon, another name that would have to grow on him.

Everyone who came into contact with Jeralt and Byleth agreed the pair were strong, but few would linger in their presence outside of his company. Jeralt knew it was a lonely life for Byleth, especially once her tutoring ceased. Her only companionship was him and she never interacted with children her own age. He hardly remembered what her own age was unless he checked his diary for the year she was born. It was difficult to keep track of the years when he had experienced so many. Of course, they still celebrated her birthday each year. He wouldn’t deny her that, but to keep her identity shrouded he told her it was a different date than it truly was. He struggled to find the balance of revealing too much at the risk of word getting back to Garreg Mach of the baby still being alive.

Life was hard, but he was happy.


	2. The Meeting

Byleth awoke to the dawn of the Great Tree Moon with a vague recollection of a dream with the green-haired child. It was always the same dream. The sleepy child would ask who Byleth was while providing no insight about herself. There was no use in dwelling on it. Years spent pondering the meaning of the dream led to no fruition, only headaches. She had to prepare for the next mission anyway; they were due to head out at dawn.

There was a sudden commotion outside. She went to investigate and immediately met Jeralt, her father, outside the tent. Together they ventured to the edge of camp where the noise was the loudest. Three unknown people, none older than 18, emerged from the forest and begged for help. Each had an air of nobility that Byleth had learned to detect from her years as a mercenary. She looked towards Jeralt whose face betrayed a sense of recognition, but before he could speak, the bandits appeared.

Jeralt took the lead and commanded Byleth and the others to go forward while he protected the rear. He looked at Byleth and said, “Make sure the brats stay safe. I’m not sure who they are, but something tells me if one of them gets killed, we’ll be in more trouble than it’s worth.” She nodded.

Quickly they approached the first pair of bandits, both wielded axes. She assessed the group’s weapons. The tall blond had a lance that would allow him a broader reach than her sword provided her. The white-haired woman carried an ax, Byleth suspected she preferred, and the brunette had a bow allowing for range attacks. With that in mind, Byleth made the quick decision to pair off. She would go with the lance and the bow and ax would stay together. This would provide better coverage of fighting styles.

She ran towards the first bandit and distracted him with combat while the blond crept behind and swept him off his feet using the lance. Her sword dealt the final blow. She shifted her attention behind her and saw the other bandit gorged with an ax. Feeling more confident with her new comrades, she joined their charge to meet the next batch of bandits. 

While they slogged their way through each group, the blond called out his thanks. Surprised, she responded with a nod. This was what she did for a living, and she would not let any harm befall the town of Remire after all the hospitality they had shown her and Jeralt. She thought the thanks unnecessary. 

Finally, they approached the bandit who seemed in charge. Jeralt joined back with the frontal attack and charged at him. The bandit screamed out, “The Blade Breaker? What's a renowned mercenary like you doing here?”

Jeralt responded, “I'm the one who should be complaining. I'm caught up in the mess you started!” as he charged at the bandit with his lance, striking him in the right shoulder. Byleth saw her opportunity and lunged at the bandit, swiping her sword across his chest, causing him to fall over.

Byleth went to join her father, but before she could reach him, the bandit leapt to his feet and ran at the girl with the white hair. Byleth jumped to protect her just as the ax of the bandit smashed into Byleth.

Dazed, she opened her eyes to darkness. On a throne in front of her sat the green-haired girl. The girl stared at her intently for a few moments before speaking, “What do you think you are doing throwing your life away for a child? Do you not realize that if you were to die then so would I?”

Byleth gaped and asked, “Is this a dream?”

“No, this is not a dream. I’ve paused time to prevent you from dying. You should be thanking me, not asking if this a dream." The girl loudly sighed. "But what are we going to do about your imminent death?”

Byleth looked at the girl, unsure how to answer, and hoped it was a rhetorical question. After a minute passed, she realized the girl expected a reply. “I thank you for saving me. If you have the power to stop time, perhaps you may also be able to rewind time?” she asked sheepishly.

The girl looked down at Byleth, “Rewind time? I suppose that would be possible. If you will not value and protect your life, then I must. I am Sothis, the beginning.”

A flash of darkness engulfed Byleth before light blinded her. Once adjusted, her eyes studied the scene, and she realized she returned to the moment before her death. She knew what was to come and ran to protect the white-haired woman. Her sword parried the ax blow and sent the bandit flying backward.

They joined the others, but before anyone could speak about what transpired, a booming voice called out from the woods. “The Knights of Seiros are here and ready to cut down anyone who would terrorize the students…. Huh! They’re running away, get them!” 

The owner of the voice approached them, looked at Jeralt, and exclaimed in recognition. “Captain Jeralt, it’s been years! It’s me, Alois, surely you recognize me despite all the time that has passed. My, you haven’t changed at all. It must’ve been twenty years since you disappeared.”

Jeralt’s face instantly grimaced. For years, he managed to avoid anything that had to deal with the church and now, due to no fault of his own, the Knights of Seiros found him. He tried to leave, but Alois insisted his joining them on their journey to Garreg Mach and that Byleth, of all people, must join too. He agreed and cursed the goddess under his voice.


	3. The Journey Part 1

Jeralt pulled Byleth to his side immediately after combat and announced to the group that they had preparations to make before they could depart to Garreg Mach. He signaled to a mercenary to approach them. They exchanged words in hushed voices before he sent him to their next employer to explain that they were no longer in a position to take the job. 

Once he settled the logistics, he asked Byleth to speak for a minute. “You’re probably wondering why I’m keeping you close to me right now, kid. I know the life we have lived has been mostly in solitude and that I raised you with no real knowledge of the church, which is pretty uncommon for those who live in Fodlan. So I’m sure it’s a shock to you that I was ever involved with their knights.

"We can’t avoid going to Garreg Mach without looking suspicious, but I need you to be on your guard while we’re there. Now isn’t the right time to tell you why exactly, but I’m asking you to trust me on this and I will explain more once we’re there. Alois is most likely harmless and the kids he’s with probably are too, so the journey should be alright. Hell, it might even do you some good to be around people closer to your own age. I wouldn’t blame you for being bored with hanging around your old man, but once we’re there, promise me to be on your guard.”

Byleth absorbed this information for a minute and responded, “I promise, but I also promise to hold you to telling me more. I’ve never been one to pry at your secrets, but now that they’re involving me, I must insist.”

“You drive a hard bargain, kid, but I promise I will tell you what I can when the time is right. There are some things in this story I don’t even know. Well, I think we need to meet back up with the rest of the group. You do one more sweep to make sure everything is in order. Once you’re done, we’ll head out.”

Byleth nodded and made her way back to the camp location. As she checked everything over, a voice spoke to her. “It seems like we are following the string of fate. I do hope we discover more about who I am and why it is you I’m connected to. I can’t imagine every person has another soul tied to their being.” Byleth froze. She knew the voice was of Sothis, the green-haired child, but she never spoke to her while awake.

“Child?!? You think of me as a child. I may look young, but you are the one with the mental capacity of a child. Don’t be so surprised when I speak. We are bound together and yes, I can hear your thoughts as well.”

Byleth apologized, hoping it would smooth things over. She heard Sothis hmph and say she was going back to sleep. It seemed to Byleth that everything was changing rapidly. For the first time in her life, she felt she couldn’t keep both feet grounded. There were always questions she had about her father’s past, but she felt sure of who she was. Now she didn’t even know what she was.

Finally, she grouped back with Jeralt and the others. They were on course to arrive the next afternoon to Garreg Mach, and she intended to walk with her father the whole journey. She never considered herself shy, but she rarely had anything to add to conversations with others, and it tended to make people uncomfortable to be around her. However, the three students from the night before stayed near.

“We must thank you again for saving us this morning. I must also apologize for not introducing myself then. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, prince of the Kingdom. Your father called you Byleth, correct?” the lance-wielding blond said. Byleth nodded.

“Yes, you have my thanks. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, princess of the Empire,” said the woman. “The way you carried yourself during battle is impressive, to say the least. Would you ever consider joining the forces of the Empire? We are always looking for powerful allies.”

“Are you really going to try to recruit our new friend right now?” smiled the brunette. “Proper manners say you should try to get to know her better, maybe start an inside joke before you feel comfortable enough to ask her to lie down her life for your country. That’s what I would do, at least. I’m Claude von Riegan, heir to House Riegan of the Alliance.”

Byleth examined the three before her. She thought the Edelgard seemed capable, but the way she watched Byleth made her feel like she was being graded for an exam. Claude seemed friendly and his smile was warm, but there was no warmth in his eyes. Dimitri, on the other hand, felt genuine in how he presented himself, but she couldn’t help sense that there was a darkness in him that contrasted strongly with his light. Each of them must have seen skilled warriors before, they should not be so impressed by her.

“I appreciate everyone’s praise of my skills, but I am just a mercenary. I work for my father, Jeralt, and am happy to do so,” Byleth responded in surprise at the sudden attention.

“Just a mercenary? If I’m right, and I usually am, you are the Ashen Demon. Rumors told she worked with Jeralt’s mercenaries and you fit the description” Claude replied and gave her a knowing look.

“I’m afraid you may be correct, but the name isn’t one I would have chosen for myself. Please, if you’ll excuse me.” Byleth left to join her father. She had enough conversation, more than what she had outside of her father in weeks. She walked in silence next to Jeralt and basked in his presence and the feelings of familiarity he brought her.

The three nobles stayed behind and watched her walk with Jeralt. Claude was nervous that he upset her. He knew the rumors described the Ashen Demon as a mercenary who struck down any opponent without a hint of feeling in her eyes. He saw it himself during the battle. Not once did she so much as frown while she sliced through the bandits. He had to admit he felt unnerved by it, but it also intrigued him. Someone who possessed that kind of command in battle could only be an asset, right?

Edelgard made her offer to Byleth in earnest. She agreed, it was better to separate emotion from battle. She thought it possible that Byleth could help her with her ambitions and earn her respect. As they trailed behind Byleth and Jeralt, Edeldard yearned to be able to study her more.

Dimitri had the most reservations. He had been in combat before, but could never separate himself from the people he fought against. Those people were someone’s family. He would do what he must, but he’d never forget that every opponent had their very own lives they lived. Did Byleth think about that at all when fighting? How could she when she showed no emotion? Even afterward, her face bore no trace of remorse. He could not, in good faith, trust a person so far removed while killing. At its core, all deaths in combat were still murder.


	4. Camp

Once darkness fell they made camp. A knight erected a fire in the center and welcomed all members of the group. The crackling of wood harmoniously swept everyone into a dreamy peace. The sweet smell of fresh blooms clung to the breeze that slowly wafted around each person. It was the start of Spring, Byleth remembered, how fitting as she looked around at unfamiliar faces and wondered what they’d bring. Sothis in return spoke of how she felt they were on the cusp of finding answers about themselves.

Byleth sat near Jeralt with Alois on his other side. The pair talked about their time working together as knights. Byleth swore she heard more about her father’s past that one night than she did her whole life. Alois' filled his stories with heroic tales and nights filled with laughter and beer. She looked at Jeralt as she listened, having a hard time picturing him in any of these tales. Her father was kindhearted to her, but he was always wary of everyone else. What happened in his life to make him the man he was today?

The three young nobles sat quietly on the opposite side of the fire as they took in the scene before them. Tales of Jeralt, the Blade Breaker, were told to each of them in their youth. Many cities in their lands revered him as a hero and with good reason too. He’s saved countless people from bandits and protected lands considered holy. It was hard to believe this man was the same as the man from the legends. Then, to his left was the Ashen Demon. Stories about her had grown to almost rival that of the Blade Breaker, but they were not tales of chivalrous adventures. People spoke of her in awe, telling of instances where she wiped out entire bandit camps, never faltering, with a face that betrayed no emotions. People respected her, but also feared her. Mercenaries worked for the highest bidder with no true loyalties, something at the forefront of the minds of all who heard her stories.

If it wasn’t for watching her battle previously, the nobles would not suspect her to be the Ashen Demon. She was hardly older than any of them and was only slightly taller than Edelgard, who was petite herself. She was toned, but nothing of her physical appearance betrayed her for something of a myth. They couldn’t help but watch her in silence as she listened to Alois’ stories. He told tales that made everyone eager to hear more and others that had them all laughing, but none of these invoked even a smile on Byleth’s face. Her lapis blue eyes watched Alois intently but never betrayed a hint of emotion, and it was there that they believed all the stories told of the Ashen Demon.

Byleth watched as Alois threw out his arms to show everyone the size of a nasty giant wolf that was terrorizing the citizens of the city at the base of Garreg Mach. She felt a tingle of happiness knowing there were people who respected her father as much as she did. It was odd, happiness was always something she sensed in her. It was deep within and, at times, felt close to breaking the surfaces, but it always sunk back down before it could. This time it felt closer than ever, almost tangible. How strange, she thought.

“Strange?” Sothis asked. “Why would it be strange to feel happiness? Even a baby can feel and understand it. Happiness is at the core of everyone. Even I seek happiness and I am not one who usually has a lot in common with mortals.”

“I have never felt true happiness before,” Byleth responded evenly, as if it wasn’t odd. “It’s not just happiness though, most emotions escape me. I can understand what they are by watching another experience them, but I have never felt more than a flicker of them before. This was the closest I have felt to experiencing happiness. I feel content, but nothing stronger.”

“That is strange. Do you not feel pride while battling or anger when injured? Surely you must feel sadness when you see a comrade die.”

“No. When I am injured, I feel inconvenienced and pain, but that is all. In all honesty, I have never cried or laughed before. I am not motivated by any anger or pride. I simply do what is needed at the time and move on.”

Sothis gasped at this. To live an existence with no emotion is truly an oddity. “What about love?” she asked.

Byleth thought on this for a moment. Love, she knew what it was, but hadn’t truly considered it before. Finally, she responded, “I think I love my father. When I am with him I feel safe and he is someone I would trust with my life. Even though I do not feel happiness, I do like seeing him happy.”

“But you cannot say for certain you love him and now Alois’ stories, of all things, make you feel the closest you’ve been to happiness. What could have possibly caused this change? I wonder..?” Sothis gave a deep yawn. “Suddenly, I am so very sleepy.”

Byleth could feel Sothis’ presence disappear. She wondered what time it was as she yawned. Jeralt saw this and realized it must be getting late.

“Alois, tomorrow’s journey will grant us enough time to catch up. Now we need to think about what we are going to do tonight. There’s no telling if additional bandits will attack. If you and your knights are willing to watch camp the first half of the night, Byleth and I can handle the second.”

“Right you are captain. We need to be prepared for the chance of any ne’er-do-wells lurking in the forest!” Alois exclaimed. “I will wake you when it is your shift. Sleep well, captain!”

With that, they went to bed.


	5. The Journey Part 2

Alois woke Byleth and Jeralt a few hours before dawn. He reported nothing out of the ordinary happened and he expected they did not need to worry, but Jeralt insisted that they still fulfill their watch.

Upon exiting the tent, Jeralt and Byleth parted, with him guarding the north and her south. Once to the edge of the camp Byleth’s eyes darted around for the best vantage point before settling on climbing a nearby oak tree. She preferred the benefits the height would give her. She swiftly climbed about halfway up before sitting on a branch that was able to held her weight. She knew it would be a few hours before everyone else awoke, so she broke off a stem and began whittling away at it while she listened for any noises and frequently glanced up to detect possible movement.

After some hours, the sun rose. “Not much longer,” she thought to herself.

“How are you not dying of boredom?” Sothis asked. It was the first Byleth had heard from her since the previous night. “This is positively dreadful and my back hurts just thinking about how long you’ve been in that position.”

“I am well-conditioned to this; it’s part of being a mercenary. We do more than seek battles. Often our task is merely watching over traveling merchants, ensuring no harm comes to them or their product.” Byleth stretched.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve being stuck with such a boring person. Out of all the people in the world, I am forced to spend my life with the only one that doesn’t have any emotions.”

“That comment would have hurt if I did have emotions.”

“Was that a joke? From you? Maybe there is still hope for you yet. No, I am sure that between you and me we can awaken something in you. Even if I have to stoop so low as to annoy a feeling out of you.” Sothis giggled to herself. “Or perhaps the monastery will have someone dashing enough to elicit some feelings, maybe even one of those nobles in camp?”

Byleth considered this, not sure if it was in jest or not. “I can hardly relate to the other mercenaries, and they have more in common with me than a noble ever could. I’m afraid you will just have to settle on trying to help me find some resemblance to happiness if you must make this your mission.”

A twig snapped nearby, causing Byleth to become alert. She scanned the vicinity to find the source of the noise and relaxed when she realized it was the two noblemen she saved the day before.

  


* * *

* * *

  


As the sun came to signify a new dawn, Claude rose out of bed after a sleepless night. The previous day’s events still weighed heavily on his mind. There could be any number of reasons those bandits attacked. Each of his companions was a worthy target for any thief, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a bigger reason for it besides the want of gold. His jade eyes glanced around the tent until they made contact with a pair of blue. He nodded to Dimitri and said, “Does the prince always wake up this early?”

Dimitri looked at the olive-skinned heir in front of him. He wondered if all nobles from the alliance were like this or if Claude was a unique case. “No, but given the circumstances, I found sleep to be evasive.”

“Well, if you pass out on the walk back to Garreg Mach, you better hope Edelgard will carry you because I’m not.” 

Dimitri grimaced at the comment. “There shan’t be any need to worry on my behalf. I have survived on less sleep before. Now that the sun is rising, I imagine we will pack up soon. Excuse me, I must offer my help to the others.” Dimitri bowed to Claude and left the tent. The still air was crisp, everyone seemed to be asleep.

Claude scrambled out of the tent. “Wait, I’ll join you. It beats waiting around for some direction.”

They set off together in silence and made it halfway around the camp before seeing someone else. It was Jeralt who must have still been on watch and only nodded at them when they appeared. They continued their walk around camp and realized it may be some time before they set off towards Garreg Mach. Claude was the first to speak, “So, that training exercise didn’t go to plan, huh? I wonder whatever became of the professor who ran off. Garreg Mach really knows how to pick them, assigning someone who flees at the first sign of danger, leaving behind the students he was assigned to protect.”

Dimitri glanced towards Claude, unsure of what to say. Every time he talked to him it felt like he was playing a game of cards and Claude was always trying to get him to reveal his hand too soon. He was charming enough, Dimitri didn’t dislike him, but something in his air always made Dimitri feel more guarded than usual. After a moment he replied, “We must be grateful to Jeralt and his mercenaries. I shudder to think of what could have become of us if we were not fortunate enough to run into them. Doubly so, now that they have joined us in our journey back to the monastery.” 

“I know Jeralt was the captain of the Knights of Seiros, but do you think it was really necessary for him to come back with us? What do you think Alois was thinking when he asked him to join us? I was surprised he accepted, but I suppose not even the Blade Breaker would refuse a request from the knights.” There were more questions than answers, and that bothered Claude. Didn’t Alois mention something about Jeralt disappearing, what could that have meant? “I do hope we get to see the Blade Breaker and Ashen Demon in action again, though hopefully, our lives won’t be at risk next time.” Claude mimicked Byleth’s swordplay as he spoke.

“Yes, I believe we could learn a great deal about combat from watching them. If they're destined to stay at the monastery for a longer length of time, though, I imagine it will be to aid the knights. I don’t suspect there will be much opportunity to interact with them.” Dimitri said as they continued walking.

“I guess you have a point there, but I'll still hold out hope. That battle yesterday was something else. I’ve never seen someone so effortlessly take down a group of bandits as the Ashen Demon did.”

Dimitri thought back to the previous day and Byleth’s face. It was completely devoid of any emotion each time she slashed down a bandit and throughout the night during Alois’ stories. “You could call it effortless, true. She is obviously a talented fighter, but the ease in which she kills is unnerving.”

Suddenly a figure dropped from the trees. In shock, Claude and Dimitri readied themselves for battle before realizing it was the Ashen Demon herself. Unsure what all she heard, Dimitri’s face reddened in embarrassment. 

As he bowed politely towards Byleth, he said “I apologize for what I have said. It was out of line considering everything you have done for our group.”

Byleth looked at Dimitri and nodded. She had heard similar things about her fighting before, and it wasn’t exactly untrue. Jeralt taught her from a young age that the battlefield was not the place to hesitate, and it wasn’t a particularly hard truth for her to accept.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Byleth said, “It is time for us to depart for the rest of the journey. I will find my father to begin preparations for the road. Please pack, I suspect we will leave within the hour.” With that, she bowed to the two nobles and departed.

Claude had a hard time not enjoying the scene in front of him. Dimitri’s face reddened to such a dark color that he would have made a rose jealous and yet, Byleth didn’t seem fazed at all.

“It only took a day and it looks like you’ve made an enemy already out of the Ashen Demon, your princeliness. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” teased Claude.

Dimitri blushed again at the words of the noble. He never should have said such a thing about someone he owed a great deal too.

“Well,” said Claude, “nothing you can do about it now. We should probably just head back to the tent and pack. If she's right about leaving in the next hour, we should be back to the monastery by noon.”

The camp was bustling as everyone prepared for the next leg of the journey. Edelgard appeared shortly after Dimitri and Claude returned, and Claude delighted in telling her what she missed, to Dimitri’s dismay. After the last sweeps of the area finished, the group proceeded to Garreg Mach.

Jeralt and his mercenaries lead the group, while the Knights of Seiros protected the back. Byleth fell in step with her father as they marched on. Dimitri watched as he and the other nobles trailed behind, hoping she would leave her father’s side and allow him an opportunity to fully express his remorse for how he behaved earlier. He must make the situation right.

Jeralt’s thoughts were preoccupied with the destination. It had been about twenty years since he escaped Garreg Mach with Byleth. He left behind so many memories there, things he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on in years. It was easier that way, he told himself. Better to live in the present than to be haunted by memories he couldn’t change. The monastery was a mystery that was best left unsolved, and he would have never dreamed of going back. Of course, his luck wouldn’t last forever.

He watched Byleth out of the corner of his eye. There was so much she didn’t know about his past or even her own. She was returning to the place of her birth and where her mother passed away. How was he going to explain all these secrets to her? She had always been so trusting of him. Would she still trust him after learning the truth? He had a hard time believing she would, he even lied about her birthday. He knew he did it with only her own safety in mind. After losing Sitri, he couldn’t allow Byleth to meet a similar fate. Jeralt resolved on telling her all he could eventually. He just needed to work out how to breach the topic and when.

“Hey kid,” Jeralt nudged Byleth as they walked, “you’re finally around others your own age and you’re still just hanging out with your old man. Why don’t you go back there and talk to them? Maybe you’ll enjoy yourself. Granted, I’m sure once Alois sees I’m alone, he’ll pounce on me like prey, but I can handle listening to his bad jokes for the rest of the journey. At the pace we’re going, it should only be another hour.”

Byleth looked up at her father. “I have always preferred your company to others. I never feel at ease as much with anyone else, but if you insist.” She nodded and slowed her pace, allowing for the group of youths to join her.

Dimitri saw this and quickened his pace. He caught up to her before the other members of his group. “Excuse me, Byleth? Please allow me to express my remorse again for earlier today. My words reflect poorly on myself self and I am ashamed to have said them. I had no right to judge you so harshly and I hope you can forgive me.”

Byleth walked on in silence before speaking. “You do not need to apologize. I have heard similar things before. A mercenary needs to build a thick skin or they will not make it very long. If you are wondering if I feel any sympathy for those who died yesterday, I must say no though. Those bandits would have killed you and the others. I did what I had to do to protect you. Your comments just mean that I am doing my job well, but I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you.”

Dimitri scowled, surely this wasn’t how the conversation was meant to go. She had no reason to apologize to him. She was right; she saved his life. He had no right to be so critical of her. 

After a moment Byleth spoke again, “Your highness, I have seen allies have their lives cut down because they hesitated. If I could pass on any advice, it would only be this: there are always enemies willing to strike you down for their own purpose. If you show mercy after they reveal their colors, it could be the last thing you do. I hope you take no offense.”

Dimitri frowned at his companion. As he was about to reply, Claude and Edelgard joined them and he thought better of saying anything. 

“Dimitri, you know you have to share our new friend with all of us. What would people say if they saw you hogging all of her attention? Rumors have been started for less.” Claude winked at the prince.

“I think you are mistaken. I was simply apologizing for my previous words, we spoke of nothing else.” Dimitri frowned.

“I think he is teasing you, Dimitri. There is no need to take everything so seriously. You know Claude enjoys making you feel uncomfortable and you are just making it easy for him.” Edelgard laughed. “Byleth, your skills with the sword are remarkable. Jeralt prefers a lance, does he not? Please, tell me, how you came to use the sword.”

“My father does prefer a lance, but fortunately, he is proficient in many weapons. We were also surrounded by excellent fighters who trained me as well. As a child, I excelled more at agility than strength and found lances and axes cumbersome. The sword seemed like the natural choice, and I still prefer it to this day. I have some experience with both now, at his instance, along with hand to hand combat. It is important to be able to adapt in battle and not be dependent on one means of defense.”

Edelgard and Claude spent the rest of the trip asking Byleth about her training, while they responded with stories of their own. Edelgard spoke of using an ax since she was young and her family’s natural proficiency with heavy armor. Byleth looked at the petite, lavender eyed girl and thought there was more than meets the eye with Edelgard. Claude talked eagerly of bows, mentioning he prefers the strategical advantages of the range weapon. Dimitri remained silent mostly, only answering direct questions as they walked on.


	6. Garreg Mach

They approached a clearing in the forest. The skies opened up, revealing a magnificent castle built atop the mountains. Rolling hills littered the terrain leading to the monastery and a small town was housed at its base. The atmosphere felt like a timeless peace, untouched by any surrounding conflicts they may occur.

Edelgard watched Byleth’s face as she took in the divine sight. “There it is, Garreg Mach Monastery. It really is Fodlan in a nutshell, both good and bad.”

“If you need a tour guide, allow me to offer my services. These two would only show you the boring places, but I know where the most fun is to be had,” Claude smirked.

They made their trek up the graveled pathway that touched the outskirts of the bustling town. Byleth took in the monastery at all angles as they climbed the hills. She had seen numerous cities and castles, but this was wholly unique. Its turrets pierced the sky, causing a wave of windows to glisten in the afternoon sun. As they got closer, she felt as if she was being called to it.

“I feel a connection to this place. It’s odd, I know I’ve never been here before, but I can feel it drawing me in. Do you feel it too?” Sothis asked Byleth.

“Yes, I am not sure how to describe it, but I can feel it too.”

“It is strange. I think I would like to find out more about it. You should ask around once we have more understanding of why they brought us here. There surely must be someone with knowledge of its history.”

“Ask someone? I think it would be better if we look around for information. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but charming people for information isn’t exactly a strong point of mine.”

Sothis laughed. “You will hardly get far in life if you don’t work on your communication skills. It is true though, the prince has hardly said a word to you since he tried apologizing. Luckily, you have me and I am quite charming.”

“I suppose you leave me no choice on the matter. If you insist on helping me then I will try my best, but I hope you do not have your hopes too high.”

They approached the gate leading into the monastery’s grounds. A gatekeeper called out a greeting to Alois and his knights. The knights dispersed, heading right at a staircase, leaving Alois behind.

“I will be escorting you and your daughter to the audience chamber and to give Seteth the full report of what happened,” Alois said to Jeralt. He then looked towards the nobles, "You three can head back to the dormitories. I can’t imagine you’ll be required for anything else today.”

They parted ways with Jeralt, Alois, and Byleth who took the stairs as the nobles headed left. “Do you think we will see them again?” Claude asked the others as they walked.

“I don’t imagine we will. Jeralt seemed hesitant accepting Alois’ offer to come here and they are probably eager to continue their mercenary work,” Dimitri responded.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Edelgard said as they approached the dormitories. “The church will want to recruit them to the knights. They are always quick to make use of talent like theirs. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to catch up on.” She nodded and left.

“The princess should really learn how to relax one of these days. Well, I’m going to sneak off for some r and r before word gets out that we’re back. I’m sure the other Golden Deer will want to hear all about our exciting adventure and I need to rest my voice to give them the story they deserve. So long Dimitri,” Claude waved as he headed up the stairs leading to his room.

Meanwhile, Alois led Jeralt and Byleth, to the audience chamber of the archbishop. They entered a darkly lit, expansive entrance hall with more stairs before exiting through large double doors and entering a courtyard walkway. 

Jeralt looked up and whispered, “Rhea’s here.” Byleth followed his eyes before spotting an ethereal woman who watched them from the third story of the building in front of them. “I don’t know what’s going on, but please remember what I said about keeping your guard up. I don’t entirely trust the archbishop or her subordinates. I have my reasons and, when the time is right, will tell you more.”

“You two sharing secrets back there? I hope you aren’t telling her any embarrassing stories from our time working together. I want to earn her respect before she finds out about the time we were sent to help the eastern church with those bandits that tried tricking us by dressing in women’s clothes,” Alois blushed, “It seems I have almost revealed too much. A story for another day.”

They followed him into another building that housed a reception hall. Tables lined the walls on both sides of the long hall. A combination of what looked to be knights and monks littered the area as they leisurely talked to one another. At the end of the hall, they turned left at a smaller hallway and took a set of stairs leading up to the building’s second floor.

Finally, they reached the audience chamber. The room had tall ceilings that reached upwards to fifty feet. Large archways decorated the walls and housed art representing important moments in the Church’s history. Above these arches were stained glass windows that painted the room in a purple hue. The woman Jeralt called Rhea stood before a throne. She was adorned in an intricate golden headpiece decorated with white moonstones engraved with stars. A blue cloak embroidered with gold thread draped over her shoulders and white robes.

“Thank you for bringing the guests here, Alois,” she spoke in a soft voice. “Seteth will take your report of the mission.” She nodded towards a man with dark green hair who appeared from a small room connected to the audience chamber. He was wearing clothing that matched in color to Rhea’s and a golden circlet atop his head. Alois and Seteth left through the entryway. 

“Thank you for protecting the students in their time of need. Jeralt, it has been too long, and who is this?” she indicated Byleth.

“This is my daughter. She was born a few years after I left the monastery. Unfortunately, I cannot introduce you to her mother, we lost her shortly after due to sickness,” Jeralt responded.

“You have my condolences. What is your name?” She asked, looking at the cerulean haired young woman next to Jeralt.

“My name is Byleth,” she said with a bow.

“I can sense something special in her heart, Jeralt. I have high hopes for her.”

“Yes, I am proud of her, but Rhea, why are we here?” Jeralt asked, his eyes looked at the archbishop with suspicion.

“It seems fate is being kind to us. Our current captain of the Knights of Seiros is aging and would like to retire.” Jeralt frowned at this. “Please, before you say no, take a couple of days to consider it. You can stay in your old room in the captain’s office. For now, I must talk to Seteth about Alois’ report. I would like to speak with you both again tonight, say at the 7th bell. In the meantime, feel free to look about. Not much has changed in the twenty years since you have left Jeralt, but you will see some new faces.”

They bowed and left, Byleth followed her father to an adjoining hallway and through a door on the left. It was an interior office. Floor to ceiling bookcases took up the walls and a large desk faced the doorway with two chairs in front of it.

“Everything looks about the same as when I left. This is the captain’s quarters. That door,” indicating the one opposite of where they came in, “leads to a small bedroom. I suppose we’ll be here for a few days at least, I’ll have someone bring a cot and I can sleep in the office.”

“Are you going to take her offer?” Byleth asked.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice in the matter, can’t say I’m too excited about it though. I’m sure she will want to employ you in the knights as well. I may have to stay here, but if you don’t want to, I’ll make damn sure you can escape.” 

“That won’t be necessary, father. If you are staying, then I will as well.”

“You were always loyal to me, weren’t you kid? That’s too bad though, you lose a certain amount of freedom when you work for the church. They like to send knights off with a moments notice and they are good at finding use of you.

“We have a few hours to kill until our next meeting with Rhea. I’ll give you a tour of the monastery. Now that it’s looking like we’ll be here for a while, you might want to know your way around.”

They went back down to the main level, exiting the building from the north, and crossed a long bridge. Byleth peered over and saw they were quite high above a deep ravine. On the other side was the cathedral, ornate tiles decorated the floor, and the tall doming ceiling decorated in stained glass windows similar to the audience chamber.

Jeralt took her back across the bridge and headed east. They passed a graveyard with stairs leading down to it before turning south. He showed her a Knight's Hall and explained the courtyard gate next to the building led to the knight’s chambers. He pointed out the stables further south, before taking her west through the courtyard. A beautiful garden of roses was tucked away in a nook of the courtyard and had people socializing over tea at the tables that were set there. 

They turned north and passed through an archway that led to another courtyard that had classrooms. Jeralt explained that the monastery also doubled as an academy for students across Fodlan. As they passed, Byleth realized she saw several younger people in similar outfits during the tour and now knew they must all be students. She peered into a classroom as they walked. She saw Prince Dimitri talking to a tall, dark man with a stern face. In another classroom, Princess Edelgard sat at a desk and nodded to Byleth when she saw her.

Turning west again, past the classrooms, they saw training grounds and a sauna, then headed south. Jeralt told her that all the connecting rooms were the dormitories for the commoner students and that the second floor was for the nobles. The path ended at a greenhouse next to a sprawling pond. Jeralt laughed and said, “This is my favorite part here, the pond. Fishing is one of the few activities that people tend to shut up during. As long as you’re not stuck next to Alois, that is. Up these steps is the dining hall. Come on, let's get some food.”


	7. An Offer

Jeralt and Byleth ate alone in a corner of the dining hall, unconcerned of the constant stream of people flowing in and out of the room. Jeralt watched his daughter as she ate, trying to get a read on her feelings about this new change. Her face didn’t betray her thoughts, it so rarely did, but there have been times he’d catch a glimpse of something in her eyes. He never mentioned it to her when he did, but those instances were some of his most treasured memories. 

He heard the rumors about the Ashen Demon, how she had no emotions, no empathy as she cut down foes on the battlefield. He couldn’t deny there was some truth in it. Was whatever Rhea did to blame or did he shoulder some blame as well? Mercenary work wasn’t easy. The ones who survived knew how to separate their feelings from the work. Jeralt didn’t question the love Byleth had for him though. It was there, in her actions, little things that the unobservant would never catch, but he did. She was fiercely loyal to him and did things that made his life easier, like brushing his horse or fishing for supper when he had a long day negotiating their next job.

There were countless times she put herself in danger to protect her allies too, much to Jeralt’s chagrin. She won over the trust of everyone she worked with because of it though. People who once were hesitant to speak with her warmed up instantly after watching her meticulous way of keeping people safe. They just needed to realize she cared, in her own way.

Jeralt’s thoughts went to Sitri. He loved her with an intensity he never dreamed possible in his youth. Would Byleth ever feel the same strength of emotion? It was his wish that she would, that something or someone would light something within her, allowing her to be wholly herself.

“Where is your mind wandering to, father?” Byleth asked.

“I was just thinking about you. What are your thoughts on everything that is happening?”

“I am not at ease being surrounded by so many people, but we do not know the extent of the change yet.” Seven bells tolled in the distance as Byleth spoke. “Seems like we will get more answers soon.”

They walked in silence as they went to the audience chamber. Jeralt’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the past. Byleth’s with Sothis’ lecturing voice.

“Why have you not asked him anything about this place. He was the captain of the knights, he must be able to provide us with some answers,” Sothis chided.

“My father tends to be secretive, pushing for answers will go nowhere. He will explain in his own time, I am confident in that.” Byleth responded. It has only been a couple of days since Sothis has awoken, but already, she found it hard to remember when her voice wasn’t there.

Rhea and Seteth were both in the audience chamber when they arrived. Seteth wore a stern face and eyed Byleth suspiciously.

“Welcome, both of you. Seteth has filled me in on everything that happened with the bandits. You have my eternal thanks. Alois praised you specifically, Byleth. In fact, he recommended you for the professor position that has suddenly become vacant. After some deliberation, I am inclined to agree.” Rhea looked at Byleth earnestly.

“Lady Rhea, do you think it is wise to offer her the professor position? We do not know her and she seems hardly older than the students, in fact, she may even be younger than a few. The students need someone with experience, these are the future leaders of Fodlan," Seteth said.

“Seteth, I have made a decision. Alois would not be impressed by just anyone and she was trained by Jeralt, the Blade Breaker. I sense great things from Byleth, please trust me,” Rheas responded.

Jeralt frowned, “I have to agree with Seteth on this. Byleth has been a mercenary her entire life, she has never taught before.”

“Practical combat experience and training provides knowledge in the same way as studying from books. I am sure the students have much they can learn from Byleth, but ultimately the decision is hers. What do you say?” Rhea asked.

Byleth was taken aback by this. She was anticipating an offer to join the knights, not this. “Say yes,” Sothis said. “Imagine what you could find out about the monastery if you do. We may be able to find out my identity and why I am tied to you.”

“I would like some time to think about the offer. Perhaps, I should sit in on a class or talk to another professor,” Byleth responded.

“That can be arranged. We are still in the first few days of the new academic year so professors have not been assigned to their classes yet, but we have some introductory seminars scheduled for tomorrow and I will arrange a meeting between you and our two current professors, Manuela and Hanneman. If you do decide to take the position, you will also need to pick a house to lead, please introduce yourself to the students to see who you may want to lead. A room has been prepared for you in the dormitories to better immerse yourself in the monastery. Seteth will take you there now.” Rhea smiled at Byleth.

“I have arranged for Byleth to stay in the captain’s quarters while I have a cot in the office,” Jeralt said uneasily.

“I do not want our esteemed captain to sleep on a cot in his office,” Rhea replied. “This is no trouble at all and you both need permanent rooms if you are to stay for some time.” Rhea nodded as she left the audience chamber. Seteth began to depart but waited for Byleth at the door.

“If you need anything kid, you know where to find me,” Jeralt said in a steady voice. He was already apprehensive about the situation and the conversation didn’t calm his nerves. He was never away from her for more than a day and now it seems like they were being pulled apart. He didn’t like it, he wasn’t ready for her to not need him. He’d always been so near, ready to protect her at a moment's notice. Jeralt knew his daughter was more than capable to navigate on her own, but he wasn’t so sure about himself. He pulled Byleth into a quick hug.

“Dad,” a term Byleth reserved for when Jeralt was being particularly fatherly, “I will be alright.”

“I know kid, but sometimes you just have to let your old man worry. Come to the captain’s office after you are done talking to the professors. The decision is yours, but maybe I can listen to you while you make it.”

He smiled at Byleth as she left with Seteth, then let out a long sigh. By his math, she would be about twenty now and she has achieved more than people double her age, but the realization she was an adult was still tough. It seemed to all happen in a blink of an eye. No father wants to admit the day his little girl didn’t need him anymore, he was no different.

“Sitri,” he thought to himself, “you would be so proud of her.”


	8. Introductions

The light of daybreak filtered into the dorm room. Byleth awoke to the sound of Sothis’ voice. “Wake up, you insolent child! Today is too important to try sleep through.”

Byleth lifted her head taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The room housed a bed, desk, dresser, and nightstand, but was barren of decorations. She glanced out the window, “Sothis, it is hardly dawn. The seminars do not start until the 9th bell, I think I could have afforded more sleep.” She may not feel the whole breadth of emotions, but tiredness is something she could fully feel.

“Do not forget you must meet all the current academy students. We have a busy day ahead of us and I think Rhea expects a decision from you tonight. You have to pick a whole class to mentor over.”

“I have not even decided if I’ll accept the professor position.”

“But you must! This place has so much it can offer us, I can feel it.”

“I have no experience in teaching. I would do better being a knight if I must work for the church. It is something that aligns more with mercenary work.”

“It is time for you to forge your own path. Your father is a mercenary and knight, can you say that knighthood or mercenary work is what you would choose without his influence? It would do you some good to branch out.”

Byleth let out a sigh and started to get ready. Sothis was right and she couldn’t argue. She always followed her father’s lead, it was familiar and safe. She dug through the pack that was left for her on the dresser and looked at the clothes within. Two sets of traveling clothes, her mercenary armor, and the pajamas she wore were all that she owned. Traveling light had always been so beneficial before, but now it seemed inadequate. 

“You’ll have to get some more clothes if you do accept the position. Maybe the town will have something more suitable. Nothing you have says esteemed professor right now,” Sothis said, kindly, yet Byleth was feeling less confident already. She opted to wear a set of traveling clothes. Almost mechanically, Byleth performed her morning stretches, attached her dagger to her belt, and left the room.

She looked around outside, wondering where to go as she thought back to the tour Jeralt gave her the previous day. “When in doubt, grab some food,” she thought to herself and made her way to the dining hall.

After waiting in a short line she took the food and sat down in the same corner she ate at with Jeralt. Before taking her first bite she heard a voice behind her.

“I heard a rumor that you are going to be the new professor.” She looked back and saw the jade eyed noble with golden skin that she helped save from bandits.

“Claude, right? It seems word travels fast here,” Byleth responded.

“Only for the people that know how to listen properly.” He smiled the same smile as before, full of warmth that didn’t touch his eyes. “Allow me to introduce you to the Golden Deer.” He offered his arm to Byleth. She looked forlornly at her uneaten food. “You can bring that with, there’s a few of us sitting a couple of tables away.”

He sat her down to his left as she scanned the table of new faces. There was a man, bigger than any she had seen before, with blonde hair. The buttons of his shirt looked like they were battling a losing war of staying fastened. A young woman, hardly fifteen if Byleth had to guess, with white hair that held a slight touch of purple. The other member was another woman, older than the first, with orange hair cut short. 

“I would like to introduce everyone to Byleth. You should be grateful to her, she saved your fearless leader’s life. Byleth, this tall gentleman is Raphael, this is Leonie, and this is our baby, Lysithea.”

“I am more mature than you could ever hope to be Claude. Stop treating me like a child. Especially when Raphael's face is covered in jam,” the white-haired girl, Lysithea, said in an irritated voice.

“Don’t drag me into this,” replied Raphael. “Besides, I can’t waste time eating slow, I need to be off to train my muscles.”

“Are you going to be a new student here?” Leonie asked.

“You could say something like that,” Claude winked at Byleth.

The group continued to chat as Byleth listened. Slowly more people joined them, all members of the Golden Deer according to Claude. There was a meek blue-haired girl called Marianne, a boy named Ignatz, and Lorenz, who had purple hair and made it known that he was a noble immediately. Finally, the last to arrive was Hilda.

“Hilda, a noble must know that it is not proper etiquette to keep people waiting,” Lorenz scolded.

“Yeesh, I made it here before the seminars. I get nagged enough by my brother when I am home, I won’t listen to it hear” Hilda rolled her eyes.

Byleth stayed a little longer and made sure to ask everyone what they were interested in learning while at the academy. Some were more helpful than others, Marianne just said she wanted to stay out of everyone’s way while Hilda said her focus was on the art of nap-taking and that she heard there was an expert in the Black Eagle’s house that she hoped to learn from. Fortunately, Claude was able to suggest areas suited them.

The 8th bell rang and Byleth excused herself from the table. She wanted to walk the grounds again before the seminar. She wandered aimlessly around the monastery, absorbed in her new surroundings. It was all so different and she wanted to become properly acquainted with it, in hopes it would make her feel more grounded. She paid close attention to students when she passed. She wanted to get a feel of their demeanor before too many people realized she would be their new professor.

She made it to the classroom courtyard early, beating everyone besides the princess she met before and a tall man with black hair that had a looming presence. Edelgard saw Byleth, smiled, and approached her.

“Hello Byleth, are you attending Professor Hanneman’s seminar?” Edelgard asked. Byleth nodded in response.

“Then you can join the Black Eagle’s section. I believe all the classes are assigned to attend the seminar, it’s more of an introduction than anything useful though. Allow me to introduce you to Hubert, he is in line to inherit House Vestra of the Empire.” Hubert bowed while eyeing Byleth suspiciously.

Byleth followed their lead to the Golden Deer classroom where the seminar was to be held. As they walked a man approached them in a confident stride.

“Byleth, this is-,” Edelgard started before being cut off.

“I am Ferdinand von Aegir, heir to Duke Aegir,” the newcomer said.

Edelgard sighed, “Yes and this is Byleth, the woman who helped during the bandit attack.”

“Ahh, I have heard about you, truly an honorable thing you have done! If I was there instead, I would have fought the bandits and not had to drag others into such a precarious situation.”

“That may be so Ferdinand, but there is no use in comparing hypothetical situations, let's find seats for us and the rest of the Eagles,” Edelgard lead the other three into the room and sat in the front left side of the classroom. She gestured for Byleth to sit next to her while Hubert sat on her other side.

A man wearing a monocle and brown suit sat at the desk in the front. He looked up and eyed Byleth with intrigue when the group came in. He stood, approached the group, and introduced himself to Byleth as Professor Hanneman. “I look forward to talking to you later today, it’s a shame that Manuela will be there as well. Please meet us in the dining hall at the 4th bell,” he said before sitting down.

Edlegard was about to ask what the meeting was about, but a brunette woman with striking green eyes sat at their table. “Good morning everyone. Oh hello, are you new here?” she looked at Byleth. “I am Dorothea, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Shortly two more people joined their table. An energetic man named Caspar and Petra, who Edelgard said was a princess from the island of Brigid who was staying with the Empire. Byleth sat quietly and observed the room. She saw all the Golden Deer she met earlier and nodded towards them. Another group sat further back, the only one she recognized was Prince Dimitri. Still another whole class she has to meet, she thought to herself. Sothis chimed in, “a whole class you still get to meet. Try and be positive about the situation.”

Hanneman began his seminar. He started by describing the merits of studying and hard work, and how he hoped to help mold the future generation of Fodlan. About ten minutes into his lecture another student came in. A man with shoulder-length green hair sat with the eagles next to a woman that Byleth didn’t notice before.

Edelgard whispered, “The woman with purple hair is Bernadetta, she stays in her room most of the time and goes out of her way to avoid most everyone, please don’t take offense to her. She is just a little timid. The man who just came in is Linhardt, I wish I could say he had a valid reason for being late, but truthfully he was probably napping.”

So that must be the person Hilda mentioned earlier, thought Byleth.

The seminar continued, but Hanneman started talking about crest and nothing else until the 11th bell sounded indicating the end of the lecture. Byleth didn’t mind listening, she’d only heard about crests in passing and didn’t know that they were gifts passed down through bloodlines from the Goddess and granted the people who were born with them unique powers.

She stayed with the Black Eagles as they idly chitchatted while going to the courtyard. She asked what interests they had in the academy and then thanked them for their time before she went to escape back to her room.

“What are you doing wasting time in here?” Sothis asked.

“I just needed a few moments to myself. Besides I thought there would be paper to write on in here,” she shuffled through the desk before finding what she needed. “I’m afraid that I have never been good at introductions.” She started writing the names of everyone she had met down along with a summary of what they looked like and what they mentioned as they’re interests.

“Good idea, it would be dreadful if you couldn’t remember the students of the class you choose, do you know which one you’re leaning towards?”

“I have not yet met all the students and I want to talk with the professors before deciding as well. I do feel that whoever I choose, will be at a disadvantage though.”

“Ha! I knew you were planning on accepting the position. As for your concerns, you will do fine. If Hanneman’s regular classes are half as boring as today, the class won’t even be awake to learn anything,” Sothis laughed.

Once she was done with the notes, Byleth left her room again. She still had an hour before the next seminar and she wanted to make use of her time. She went left, deciding on the training grounds for her next destination. She sat out a bench and watched the people there, Caspar and Raphael were grappling together in one corner, another had a masked man and man with inky black hair dueling with swords.

She approached the latter group once they were done and remarked, “Both of your sword work is impressive, but your movements are too predictable. It is easier to surprise an opponent when you don’t counter using the traditional means that are taught.”

“Tch, and who might you be?” the inky haired man asked.

“I am Byleth, I thought you may want suggestions, but I am sorry if I was incorrect,” she bowed to the two.

“Are you the one who helped rescue the boar and his group? Dimitri said you were quite skilled and he doesn’t say things like that lightly. I am Felix and this is Jeritza,” the man in the mask bowed. “We should spar sometime, it’ll be nice to have someone who is some challenge besides Jeritza here.”

“Hey Felix, you going to introduce me to your new friend here?” a redheaded man smirked at Byleth. “A beauty such as this shouldn’t be wasted on you.” A woman stood next to the man and rolled her eyes. Byleth noticed Jeritza slipping away from the group as they joined.

“Sylvain, please stop and consider how your actions negatively portray everyone in the Blue Lions house. We are here as representation of the Kingdom. I am sorry about him ma'am. I am Ingrid of House Galatea and this is Sylvain of House Gautier,” Ingrid said.

“This is Byleth, the woman Dimitri told us about,” Felix introduced Byleth as she bowed.

“The Byleth?” Sylvain asked. “I heard all about your valiant exploits saving our prince. I offer my life to you as a humble servant in thanks for your deeds.”

“Please ignore him,” Ingrid sighed. “We are grateful to you for protecting his highness.”

“It is nothing to give thanks for. I imagine most would be inclined to help if they could,” Byleth responded. “I am more curious about your group. It seems I have met everyone from the other two houses, but none from yours. Tell me, what brings you to the academy?”

The group of Blue Lions talked about how they and Dimitri were all childhood friends and came to the monastery at his request. They spoke about what they hoped to learn while at the academy and the excitement of meeting people from the other regions. Sylvain reported with happiness that the women from the other regions were just as exquisite as the one’s from Faerghus. 

After a bit, Byleth excused herself from the group and headed towards the dining hall. She grabbed food and looked around the tables. She recognized a few faces she met earlier, but there were two women in academy uniforms she didn’t know. She decided it was best to try and finish meeting everyone before the next seminar and asked to join them.

“We would be happy for you to sit with us,” the older of the two said. “I am Mercedes and this is Annette. I don’t think you’ll meet a nicer person here,” she smiled at the redhead.

“Oh Mercie, you are too kind to me,” Annette blushed.

“It’s true though. When we were studying at the School of Sorcery you were so kind to me despite my being older. You saved me from being all alone. You must be Byleth, I heard a rumor from other students that you were introducing yourself to everyone.”

“You would be correct. You mentioned the School of Sorcery, are you both mages?” Byleth asked.

“Yes! We both studied there before coming to the Officer’s Academy. Mercie is much better than me at faith-based magic, she’s a natural at healing,” Annette said. Byleth listened to the two talk about their time at the School of Sorcery. They spoke of their time with sincere happiness and spoke praise of each other. Soon it was time for the next seminar and the pair insisted on Byleth sitting with them.

They got to the seminar not long before it started and headed towards the Blue Lion’s table. Byleth realized there were only two people she hadn’t met yet. A short man with silver hair and freckles and the tall man she before sat next to Dimitri.

“Hello everyone, I want you to meet Byleth,” Mercedes said when they got to the table. “We invited her to sit with us.” Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix all nodded in acknowledgment to Byleth.

The freckled man got up and said, “Hello, I am Ashe. Seems like you met almost everyone here already. This is Dedue,” he looked over at the tall man.

“Hello,” Dedue said.

“I am Manuela,” the professor at the front of the class spoke. Mercedes, Annette, Ashe, and Byleth quickly sat down. “Not only will I be one of your lucky house’s professor, but I am also in charge of the infirmary,” Manuela continued. She talked of how some students may recognize her from the Mittelfrank Opera Company and the merits of faith magic. Towards the end of the seminar, she mentioned making sure everyone’s time at the academy wasn’t spent entirely on studying and how she hopes everyone can find time to have fun as well. 

The bell rang, signifying the end of class. Byleth was about to leave to meet with Manuela and Hanneman, but then Dimitri approached her.

“Hello, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to introduce you to the Blue Lions myself. I feel it was rude of me, but I assumed you wouldn’t be staying here for long,” Dimitri said.

“It seems the church has plans to keep me here longer than I anticipated as well, no need to apologize,” Byleth responded with a bow.

“Will you be enrolling as a student? You must be trying to decide on a house to study with then. You’ll find fine people in each one, though I am biased towards the Blue Lions. Felix would make an excellent sparring partner when practicing the sword.”

“Actually, they have asked me to be a professor and wanted me to be more familiar with the students before accepting the position. If you’ll excuse me,” she bowed again, “I have a meeting with Professor Manuela and Hanneman.”

Dimitri watched Byleth exit the classroom, surprised at the news. She didn’t seem any older than the students, but he had to admit she held herself in battle with a confidence that could only be gained through years of experience.

“I hope she picks our class,” Sylvain approached Dimitri. “I would not miss an opportunity to sign up for extra tutoring from her,” he winked.


	9. A Decision

“Hello Byleth, finding your way around the campus well? If you ever need any help finding anything, I’d be happy to help” Hanneman asked.

“I am, thank you,” Byleth said.

“Seteth told us you had some questions for us about the professor position. When I heard they offered someone the position, I didn’t imagine it would be to someone so young. Then I heard about you being Jeralt’s daughter and I’m sure in his strong capable hands he has taught you well,” Manuela spoke with a slightly glazed look when mentioning Jeralt.

“Yes, I was hoping you could tell me more about the position, what your curriculum looks like, and areas of expertise. I, admittedly, have not been in the position of a teacher before, my experience is in firsthand combat,” Byleth said.

“Don’t worry about your ability to teach,” Hanneman responded, “the bar for being a professor here is very low.”

“I suppose that’s another jab at me?” Manuela sneered. “At least my students don’t run away in fear of me experimenting on them.”

“No, but the knights do,” Hanneman smiled at Manuela.

The pair of professors went on bickering only asking Byleth for input when they wanted someone to agree with them. She obliged with a nod here and there while watching them. She was able to obtain some information, Hanneman was adept at bows and reason, while Manuela preferred faith and swords. She also mentioned being a skilled flier. After listening to them for half an hour, she realized she wasn’t going to have any more questions answered and excused herself.

She made her way to the captain’s quarters to find Jeralt sitting at the desk. He smiled as she entered and offered her a chair.

“You look like you had a busy day, have you made a decision?” Jeralt asked while pouring tea for them.

“I have decided to accept the position, though I’m not sure if I truly had much of a choice. I am still contemplating which house to pick. I am a bit reluctant to choose any,” Byleth looked at Jeralt in hopes of answers.

“It’s not like you to be indecisive. Is the Ashen Demon finally nervous about something?” Jeralt laughed. His daughter could face packs of bandits and monsters, but it's a group of kids that finally makes her question herself.

“I suppose you could call it nervousness,” she hesitated before speaking again. “These students are looking for someone to help them achieve their goals, someone who can lead them. I have always followed your lead.”

“You’re the most independent merc I have. I don’t even bother trying to direct you in combat anymore. Honestly, if any of the other members of the company behaved the way you do on a mission, they’d have been let go. Luckily for you, you’ve proven yourself and I’m not opposed to a little nepotism.”

“That’s not exactly what I’m talking about, combat is second nature to me anymore. No, I mean in interactions with people. You know just what to say and when. You have the full confidence of everyone around you because they instinctively trust you. They, on the other hand, respect my abilities on the field, but never turn to me for support. Most people we meet are uncomfortable around me, how does someone like that teach?”

Jeralt felt pain at these words, the years of loneliness she must have bared always worried him, but hearing it so plainly was difficult. How he wished the world would see Byleth the way he did, as the caring girl she is. 

“I think you are selling yourself a little short,” he replied. “There isn’t a single person who has worked with us who doesn’t trust you with their lives. It’s true, some people find your stoic appearance off-putting at first, but you win people over with your actions. Give it time and I guarantee each one of these students will follow your lead without hesitation. Now, tell me about your day and what you learned about each class.”

Byleth started talking about everything she did that day. With anyone else, she’d have difficulty speaking at length about herself, but when it was just her and her father it came naturally. She talked about her meeting with the professors and how each class had students that made her feel welcomed. She glanced at her notes and described the goals of each student she met earlier and what class they belonged to. Jeralt added input here and there but mostly listened until she came to a stop. 

“It sounds like you had a productive day. Do you think you’ve made a decision? Lady Rhea will probably want to know soon.”

“Yes, the Blue Lions.”

“Really?” Jeralt asked in surprise. “It sounded like you hit it off well with the Riegan kid the best out of the leaders.”

“The Golden Deer are comprised mostly of archers and magic users, something that Professor Hanneman is better equipped at training,” Byleth contemplated each professor’s compatibility with the houses. “While Manuela is already familiar with members of the Black Eagles from her time in the Empire. I think I will be best suited to teach the Blue Lions, most are focused on close combat weapons, particularly lances. Fortunately, I know someone who is excellent with a lance and owes me numerous favors,” she smirked.

“Was that a rare Byleth smile? I guess I can’t refuse now, though you know my patience with brats is pretty low.” He paused, watching her relax now that a decision has been made, and said, “You might want to think about trying to smile some more. I know it doesn’t come as natural for you as it does others, but making you happy could motivate the students.”

“I’ve tried smiling in the past father, you know people think it’s menacing or creepy when I do. I don’t think that will appeal to them.”

“I think your smile is pretty great, but do what makes you feel comfortable. It’s starting to get late, you should meet with Rhea and Seteth. Thank you for stopping in and talking to me though,” he smiled at Byleth. 

She nodded, rose from her chair, and turned to him before leaving, “wish me luck.” She headed out the doors to the audience chamber. Both Seteth and Rhea were there talking in hush tones before spotting her come in.

“Byleth, thank you for coming to see us,” Rhea said warmly. “Have you made a decision about my offer? I’ve heard the students have taken in interest in your presence here.”

“I have decided to accept the professor position and would like to be placed with the Blue Lions house,” Byleth said.

“Splendid, I am delighted to hear this,” Rhea smiled.

“With you joining the professors, we have decided to have a mock battle at the end of the month to assess the classes,” Seteth spoke in a stern voice. “We are eager to see how you will perform, I trust you will not let Lady Rhea down. Please come to my office and I can explain the rest.”

Byleth nodded and bowed to the archbishop before following Seteth to an office across the hall from the captain’s quarters. He gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk before sitting down himself. “It is no secret that I am apprehensive about you becoming a professor, but so long as Lady Rhea trusts you, I will as well. Please do not disappoint us.”

“I hope to prove worthy of the position,” Byleth replied.

“Good, see that you do. As a professor, you are expected to teach your students a variety of subjects, tactics, and combat mostly, but history and soft skills as well. I trust you already realize each member of your class has different abilities and goals? It is your duty to help them flourish. You’ll also be expected to hold seminars in your own strengths for all the houses to attend, as well as train your own abilities.

“Each month you will have an assigned mission to complete, but it is not unheard of that you may be asked to assists with more, given the need. Typically the mission involves providing the students a chance at real combat but can vary each month depending on what the Church requires. This month, as you know, will be a mock battle. As you begin your classes, keep the battle in mind. We are limiting participation to five from each house including the professors to test your abilities.

“Class will start tomorrow at the 9th bell. Don’t worry about preparations tonight, use it as a way to further your knowledge of the students. If you have any questions, Manuela or Hanneman will be the best to ask, and feel free to use the library too. Thomas, who oversees it, is most helpful at finding the required resources. Unless there’s anything else you need, you are dismissed.”

Byleth nodded and left. She made her way to her room.

“He was not particularly warm to you,” Sothis chimed.

“He does not have confidence in my ability to teach. I do not blame him, this is not something I’ve done before,” Byleth said.

“You need not worry. Not only do you have experience in combat, but you also have me.” They reached the room. “Now off to bed, we have a big day in the morning,” Sothis yawned.


	10. Class Begins

The morning came quickly. It was the first day of standard classes and the students were all eager to learn who their professor would be for the upcoming year. Seteth announced the night before that the dining hall would be serving a special breakfast to mark the occasion and encouraged everyone to attend.

Dimitri felt as if he had just gone to sleep when he heard the knock from one of the Church’s servants, alerting to the start of the new day. As he was getting ready, Sylvain barged in.

“Hey your highness, still getting ready I see. We can’t all be as good of students as I am, I plan on being the first to class,” Sylvain smiled.

“Is everyone else waiting for me?” Dimitri asked.

“Well, Ingrid said she couldn’t wait for you any longer and left for the breakfast. Honestly, I’m surprised she waited at all with how much Seteth talked up the meal. Felix mentioned going to the training hall, so I suppose he’s there right now and Dedue is just outside your door. He almost didn’t let me in by the way, not like I’m your oldest friend or anything, but I’ll try not to take offense,” he said loud enough so Dedue could hear him. “I haven’t seen the other three though, probably at the dining hall with Ingrid by now.”

“We’re not presenting a very unified front for our first class. Let’s join the others, hopefully, Felix won’t be far behind.” Dimitri headed out and wished Dedue a good morning before he made his way to the dining hall. Dedue followed behind the pair as they walked in and found the rest of the lions already at their table.

There were platters of food at the table, full of eggs and various breakfast meats. Jars of jams and jellies and pitchers of coffee and tea were scattered throughout the table. A sign in delicate script listed additional options that the cooks could readily make upon request sat at the center of the table. Dimitri and Sylvain were surprised to see Felix already there as they sat down. 

“Your highness, if you would like anything else, I can alert the cooks,” Dedue spoke in his stern voice.

“Thank you, but I am more than happy with the food already provided,” Dimitri started to ready himself a plate.

“You should try the sausage, oh and the bacon is delicious too,” Ingrid eyes sparkled while talking about the food. “I had an omelet made with both and it was heavenly.”

The students idly chatted among each other as they ate. Slowly, the other tables filled as well, with faces that were starting to look familiar. Sylvain pardoned himself before making his way to where other classes were sitting, on a quest to introduce himself to the women of the other classes. Ingrid watched him and groaned, embarrassed that he was many people's first meeting with a Blue Lions student. Mercedes and Annette talked enthusiastically about expectations for the upcoming year and asked questions of Ashe and the noble’s about their lives.

“Oooo, I can’t wait for class to get started! I have so much to learn,” exclaimed Annette. “Mercie, will you go early with me? I want to get a good seat.”

“Of course I will, Annie,” Mercedes smiled at her friend. “I’m looking forward to finding out who our teacher will be. I hope it is Professor Byleth, it was so nice of her to take time out of her day to get to know us.”

“I’ll be happy with any teacher. I just hope we get to spend some time with each of them. Everyone here seems so experienced,” Annette said. 

“I think Hanneman would be a good option. He mentioned being good with a bow and reason based magic. I’d like to have more experience with a range option,” Ashe quietly said.

“Byleth would be the best, she seems most capable with a blade. I’d like the opportunity to spar with her,” Felix declared with a spark in his eye.

“There are people besides you in the class, Felix. Though, she does seem to have the most experience with close combat styles,” Ingrid contemplated each professor’s abilities. “Though Manuela is supposed to be apt at flying, that’s a skill that can prove most useful. What do you think, your highness?”

“I’m sure I will be happy with any of them as our professor, as long as whoever it is can help guide you each on your chosen path. We will find out soon enough. Let’s collect Sylvain and head to our classroom.” Dimitri stood and looked for the redhead. Upon spotting him he called out “Sylvain” and headed towards the door, followed by his classmates.

  


* * *

* * *

  


Byleth headed towards the infirmary. Manuela and Hanneman asked to meet with her before the start of classes. As she walked she ate a sweet roll she grabbed from the dining hall. Each bite she took she thought about all the other delicious items that were set out for breakfast and wished she didn’t have to go to the meeting.

“You have more important things to do than daydream about food. Hasten your step,” Sothis exclaimed.

“There’s no reason to rush, there’s still plenty of time before class starts,” Byleth took another bite of her sweet roll. “Besides, food is important. It fuels me and with all the running around you expect me to do, I need it.”

Hanneman and Manuela were already there as Byleth entered the infirmary. She greeted them and apologized if they waited long. Sothis chimed in, “I told you to hurry.”

“I arrived only a few minutes ago. There’s no need to apologize,” Hanneman smiled. “We have a big day ahead of us. The first day lays out the foundation for the rest of the year.”

“It’s not that important, Hanneman,” Manuela rolled her eyes. “You introduce yourself, let the kids know a little more about you, and what the expectations are for the year. They tell you their interests and whatnot and that’s it. Everyone knows the first day of class is a breeze. That is a peculiar choice in clothes though.” Manuela eyed Byleth over. She was wearing her mercenary uniform. It was clean, but showed wear and had some stains that Manuela didn’t want to ask about.

“I was planning on taking the students to the training grounds. It’s easier for me to gain respect by displaying my skill rather than talking and it would give me insight into their abilities as well. Also, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I only have this and a couple of pairs of traveling clothes,” Byleth confessed.

“If that’s the case, I will be happy to go into town with you tonight and help you buy some new outfits. Don’t worry about money, the church gives us a monthly allowance.”

Manuela was wearing a low cut green dress that had slits up both sides of her legs. It suited her air of confidence that she projected, but Byleth felt a ping of apprehension about wearing something similar. She’d never thought about her personal style before, always just choosing clothes that fit the job rather than for looks. She nodded and thanked Manuela while wondering how the trip would go.

“Now that you two have that settled, it’s time to discuss why we asked you to meet. It’s no cause for alarm, but we wanted to make sure we arrived to the classes at the same time. As you know, the students have not been made aware of who their professor will be and we find that waiting to get to class helps increase their enthusiasm for the year,” Hanneman said.

Hanneman and Manuela passed the time telling Byleth about their plans for their perspective classes along with how past school years typically went. The start of the school year must have put both in a good mood because there was hardly any bickering between the two. Eventually, they heard the bell that indicated class was about to start and the group hurried down to the courtyard in front of the classrooms. Manuela and Hanneman wished Byleth good luck before parting. Byleth went to the entrance of the Blue Lion’s room, took and a deep breath, and opened the door. 

“Hello students,” Byleth spoke steadily. “I will be your professor for the remainder of the year. I believe I met everyone yesterday. You may call me Byleth if you desire.” She approached the chalkboard and wrote Professor Byleth on it, before turning around to meet the students’ faces.”

“Now would be the time to smile,” Sothis whispered to her. For a split second, Byleth lifted the corners of her lips before dropping them immediately. “You call that a smile! They didn’t even see it. You are hopeless!” Sothis chided.

“For today’s class, we will focus on getting to know each other so I can formulate a timeline and begin proper lesson plans to help each one of you grow.” Byleth began handing out paper to each student. Please write down two areas of study you would like to focus on. Your options are sword, lance, ax, bow, brawling, reason, faith, authority, heavy armor, riding, and flying. This is just a starting place, you are free to change your focus as you begin to understand where your strengths lie. Take your time, I would just like them filled out by the end of the lesson.

“We will be going to the training grounds this afternoon. I want to see where you are currently at in your training as well as allow you to duel me if you desire. Until then I would like to go around to each student and hear what you hope to gain from your time at the academy. This is also the time to ask me any questions you may have about me as well.”

Sylvain spoke first at the invitation. “I am here to be the best student can be. My goal is to be someone you will come to depend on for anything professor. If you need anything, all you need to do is ask. My only question is, are you free tonight.” Sylvain let out a groan as Ingrid elbowed his side.

“Thank you for your diligence Sylvain, but I hope you think about your personal goals as well. To answer your question, I foresee myself as being very busy while I get accommodated with my new duties,” Byleth replied without missing a beat.

The rest of the class answered Byleth’s question, almost everyone’s response involved them being here as a way to better their skills. Ingrid and Ashe both mentioned dreams of becoming knights, Dimitri said he hoped to better his leadership skills, while Dedue merely said he was there at Dimitri’s behest.”

They continued to talk about how her class would proceed. She informed them that she will set up additional tutoring once a week for each student based on the areas of focus they wrote down and to inform her of what times work best for them so she could accommodate their schedule. In addition to her teachings, she mentioned that there would be routine seminars with the other professors that would be open to all the houses to attend.

Finally, she motioned for everyone to stand, “It is time to head to the training grounds. Please follow me.” Everyone followed her lead as she departed the classroom and went towards the grounds. Jeritza was there when they entered and nodded to the professor before finding the furthest corner to observe from.

“I would like to see a demonstration of your skill. Everyone choose the weapon you are most comfortable with and I will duel with you to assess where you stand,” Byleth announced.

“Excuse me,” Mercedes rose her hand to talk, “I much prefer healing and faith magic as opposed to combat. I’m afraid I won’t be any good at this.”

“That is fine. No one will be required to duel who doesn’t want to. We can find alternative means to showcase your abilities.” Byleth went to retrieve a training sword from the weapons rack before turning around, “Who’s first?”

Sylvain took a step forward to volunteer but was pushed aside by Felix. “I’m first,” Felix said and shot a glare at the redhead.

Byleth nodded at him and readied herself as he rushed in for a cut. He fought with aggression and speed, going into an attack almost immediately after Byleth blocked the first. She let him go for multiple jabs, blocking each as she weighed his strengths and weaknesses. Felix went in to cut from the right, but this time she parried and went to counter-attack. In one sweeping motion, knocked him onto his back and targeted his throat with her sword. In a huff, Felix knocked her sword away and went to sit on the benches.

“That was good. Who is next?” Byleth asked the remaining students.

One by one, the students approached her. Sylvain, Ingrid, and Dimitri each selecting the lance. Dedue attempted to sit out but was encouraged to take up an ax and try by Dimitri. Each duel went similarly to Felix’s, she would defend multiple attacks before ending each battle in a decisive blow. In the end, only Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes opted out.

“Now, for you three. Mercedes already informed me of wanting to display her healing magic. Annette, I assume you will use reason magic?” she watched the girl nod. “Good, what about you Ashe?”

Ashe shifted nervously, “I think I’m pretty good with a bow, but I’m not sure how that will benefit my being a knight, professor.”

“Nonsense, bows are a key weapon in any battle,” Byleth attempted to look reassuring to the silvered hair boy.

With this display of confidence from the professor, Ashe retrieved a training bow. “Would you like for me to shoot the target dummies?” he asked and watched Byleth nod. He aimed at a wooden figure on the opposite side of the grounds, inhaled, and let his arrow fly. His shot hit true in the target’s chest.

“Your aim is impressive Ashe, I look forward to seeing more from you,” Byleth said. Ashe smiled at the praise and sat with the others.

“Annette, it’s your turn,” Byleth commanded

The young woman readied herself as she picked a target. She took a moment to concentrate then sent a powerful wind spell at her dummy.

“Excellent,” Byleth nodded.

“I guess that just leaves me, professor. However, no one seems to require a heal spell,” Mercedes frowned.

“That is easily ramified.” Byleth took the dagger affixed to her belt and calmly pressed it to her palm. The students watched from their seats, someone whispered, “she didn’t even flinch.” A pool of blood formed in Byleth’s cupped hand as she presented the injury to Mercedes. 

“Oh my,” gasped Mercedes as she went to work on healing the cut. With her hand hovering over Byleth’s, she concentrated her thoughts and energy on the wound. Her own hand glowed while Byleth’s slowly fused it’s skin back together and healed.

“Thank you, Mercedes,” Byleth spoke as steadily as ever. She looked over at the rest of her students. “At the end of the month, there will be a mock battle with the other houses. Each class is only allotted four students. Think about whether you would like to participate and let me know. That will be all for today.”

Byleth bowed and departed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the story starts picking up pace from here on out. The focus shifts from introductions to more plot and character building. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it, thanks for reading!


	11. A Trip to Town

Byleth started towards her room when a voice called out her name. She turned as Manuela approached her.

“Don’t think I’ll let you forget about our plans tonight,” Manuela smiled. “We have a date in town to get you more suitable clothes.” Manuela linked her arm into Byleth’s and started hurrying to the gates.

“It’s about time something fun happens!” Sothis gleefully said as Byleth was tugged along.

Manuela blew a kiss to the gatekeeper as they departed the grounds, whose face darkened with a blush. Manuela was in good spirits and chatted the whole walk to the town.

“It is so good to have you as a professor here, Byleth. The one who ran off during the training exercise was just as stodgy as Hanneman. If you think one of him is bad, just think of what it’s like to have two,” Manuela shuddered. “But let’s not spoil our trip which such unpleasant thoughts. I do hope your first day went well. Some of the students can be, well, a little unruly. I already know who will give me grief in my class. The Caspar kid has more energy in the morning than I do all day. He’s just too loud too early in the morning, I’m in for a rough year. Granted, from what I hear, I’ll be lucky if Lindhardt and Bernadetta show up to half my classes, but you know what they say, an absent student is a quiet student,” Manuela chuckled to herself.

Byleth hardly spoke two words the whole walk. Sothis groaned and sighed a lot as Manuela talked, but Byleth hardly minded. It was much easier to converse when the other person didn’t expect her to add much. She listened, contently as they entered the town.

“You are lucky I am here to guide you. I know the best shops and don’t worry about payment. I already spoke with Seteth and he agreed to add this into your stipend for the month. A professor has to look the part!” Manuela winked.

Manuela whisked Byleth from shop to shop. At each stop, she would make Byleth try on a variety of clothes. A lot of the items were dresses similar to the one Manuela was currently wearing, which Byleth politely declined to purchase. She ended up buying multiple pants and tops, predominately all in black. At the last shop, she found a draping black caped blazer with silver embroidery on it’s back.

“Well, I was hoping for a bit more color and little more skin, but you do have a signature style. We should head back to the monastery, I need my beauty rest if I’m going to survive class.” Manuela headed off in the direction of the path to the monastery.

“Even you’re clothes are boring. It wouldn’t kill you to wear something more inspired,” Sothis nagged. “With legs like yours, I would be proud to show them off.”

Byleth thought back to her dreams and remembered Sothis’ slit dress. “I wouldn’t describe your style as functional. Being able to defend myself at a moment's notice can save my life, something that would be more of a challenge in what you described.” She heard Sothis huff in response. 

“I feel as though I’ve done all the talking,” Manuela said as she and Byleth marched up the hills leading the Garreg Mach. “Sometimes I can get a bit carried away. If you have anything you want to say, I’m all ears. Any worries or questions for a veteran professor?”

“I am worried about how to bond with my students,” Byleth said.

“Oh, you can do all sorts of things for that. You can invite them to tea, sit with them at the dining hall, have them practice for the choir, well, all sorts of things. Seteth didn’t mention any of this? It’s actually encouraged, something about helping in battle and forming lasting relations with the Church.”

“I don’t think he particularly likes me.”

“He’s just that way with everyone, don’t worry he’ll warm up. As long as you don’t pose any risk to Flayn that is and I mean any. One time I encouraged her to socialize with a group of kids her own age, I suppose there may have been some boys in the group. Anyways, he lectured me for a week saying it’s fine that I associate with men who have ulterior motives, but he will not have her do the same. Jokes on him, I like ulterior motives,” Manuela laughed.

“Who’s Flayn?”

“She’s Seteth’s little sister. I’m surprised you haven’t met her yet. She’s very sweet, a little sheltered though, but that’s thanks to him being so overbearing I guess.” They entered the gate doors of the monastery. “Well, I have to be off. Toodaloo!” Manuela waved as she took the stairs to the entrance hall.

Byleth started towards her room, carrying the items she purchased. She noticed no one was around and decided to stop and sit at the edge of the pier of the pond. As she watched the shadows of fish darting in the water she tried taking in all that had happened in the last few days. So much of her life changed in such a short amount of time. Before, she was a confident mercenary, almost unmatched in reputation. Now though, she wasn’t as steady on her feet. She used to feel so sure of herself, everything was second nature. Today she had nothing, but questions of her ability to lead.

“There is no use on dwelling on it,” Sothis reassured. “This is the path your life has taken, soon you will be as commendable of a professor as you were a mercenary. It will just take some time.”

“These students rely on me. Their futures and success are in my hands. This is not a task that should be entrusted to me.”

“Rhea saw something in you, she wouldn’t have sought you for the position otherwise. I also see great things in you. You think you do not feel, but I know you care for those around you. You will not fail the students, please trust in that.”

“Thank you”

“Now, let’s focus on improving your capability as a professor. Your father asked you to smile more for the students, let's practice with the reflection of the pond!”

Byleth looked into the water and saw her stern face looking back. Slowly, she lifted the corners of her mouth to feign a smile. “Err, not quite. Try showing your teeth,” Sothis said and Byleth obliged. “Maybe don’t show your teeth,” Sothis sighed.

Byleth practiced the expression for a few more minutes before Sothis decided it was enough for the night. She assured Byleth it was improving a little and that, with her help, Byleth will have a charming smile in no time. Byleth headed to her room and spent the night planning for the weeks’ classes.


	12. Something New

The rest of the week’s classes fell into an easy routine for Professor Byleth and her students. She wrote a schedule for extra tutoring, two different students each night of the week in hour blocks starting the following week. Wanting the students to explore all the skills, she focused on teaching the basics of each. The mornings were filled with the theory of the skill and the afternoons with practical demonstrations at the training ground. She had to employ available knights when it came to the ones she was less experienced with but was able to hold her own with most of the weapons.

Like clockwork, when the fourth bell struck, she’d dismissed the students and head to the dining hall to eat with Jeralt. Afterward, she’d go to the library or her room, but nowhere else.

“How are your classes going?” Jeralt asked on her third night as professor.

“They are going fine. I am lucky to have fairly talented students, it will make my year easier. A few have already approached me expressing interest in the mock battle. Felix is particularly eager to prove himself,” Byleth answered.

“Felix… is he the dark-haired boy?” Byleth nodded to her father’s question. “Yes, he’s approached me a few times to spar, comes right into my office and asks. He’s annoying, but he does have a lot of drive. Could be more polite about asking though,” Jeralt laughed.

“That does sound like him. I had to have a talk about not dueling with swords while we focus on other disciplines. He’s since taken to hovering outside my room in the morning to ask me to train as I leave,” Byleth sighed.

“You know, you don’t always have to eat with your old man. In fact, Rhea mentioned shipping me out soon to lead a mission. Nothing you need to worry about, just bandits causing grief in a church donor’s land. It should only take a couple of weeks, but I think you should try to use this time apart to focus on learning more about your students. Not a better way to do that than sharing a meal.” Byleth agreed and the pair continued to eat in peace.

The Blue Lions students sat at a table nearby and glanced at their professor occasionally. They heard a rumor that she went into town with Manuela earlier in the week, but no one saw her talk to anyone outside of class besides Jeralt and the occasional questions she would ask Tomas, the library’s head librarian.

“She acts impervious to my charm. I know better, she wants me,” Sylvain smiled at his classmates.

“I’m sorry, your charm? Your whole motto is that if you flirt with everyone and someone might eventually someone may say yes,” Ingrid rolled her eyes. “When was the last time you even had a date?”

“When was the last time any of you had a date?” Sylvain retorted. “And Dimitri, giving a girl a dagger a decade ago doesn’t count as a date.”

The table glanced around at each other awkwardly before Mercedes spoke up. “I actually just had a wonderful night in town with that knight who is usually assigned as a gatekeeper. He’s always so polite, I couldn’t say no when he asked.”

“We’re here to train, not to waste our time,” Felix said.

“Nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure,” Sylvain shrugged.

“I wouldn’t take the professor’s actions too personally, Sylvain. She doesn’t seem to be interested in socializing with anyone. She has made a good professor so far, but I don’t think anyone of us should get our hopes up about their relationship going beyond that of a teacher and their pupil,” Dimitri said.

“Your highness,” Ashe spoke in his soft voice, “you met her before she came to the monastery, right? What was she like then?”

Dimitri thought back to the night she and Jeralt helped them stave off the bandits and the following journey while he contemplated his reply. “She was distant, both on the battlefield and off. In conversation, she was polite and listened, but no warmth ever flickered on her face. It was a bit unsettling really.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect her,” Dimitri added quickly. “We must all follow her lead as our professor in order to succeed this year. I want each one of you to show her respect,” he stared at Sylvain as he said the last words.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m nothing, but a gentleman,” he said with a wink.

Jeralt was deployed early on Saturday. Byleth went to the gate to wish him farewell. It would be the first time in her memory that he’d be away from her for more than a couple of days. He promised he would be back in time to watch the mock battle, but as she walked away she felt an unease in her stomach.

“Sothis, do you feel that?” she asked her constant companion.

“Strange, it seems you are feeling loneliness. I wouldn’t be surprised at anyone else feeling like this given the circumstances, an abrupt change in their life, and their father leaving for the first time, but I wouldn’t expect this from you. How odd, this is the strongest emotion you have experienced since I’ve awoken. I wish it was a nicer one though,” Sothis said gently.

“I don’t like it.”

“No, no one wants to feel lonely. Unfortunately, we all do at some point, even you, it seems. The best thing to do is to include more people in your life. People you can turn to that will help drown out the loneliness you feel.”

“I wouldn’t know how.”

“Nonsense! You have been told how by multiple people. It starts with little things, dining with people, or inviting them to join you for training. Eventually, enough little things will add up to a friendship. Your friendship with your father comes easy, but even that is due to mutual respect and time spent together. It is the same for any relationship.”

Sothis’ words encouraged Byleth as she walked the steps to the dining hall. She scanned the tables as she waited in line for breakfast, hoping to find an approachable face in the crowd. She found her mark while she picked up her tray of food.

“Approach with the same confidence you do when it’s a foe in combat,” Sothis’ whispered. Head held high, she marched to an empty seat and sat. The students stared at her for a moment before she heard Sothis yell, “Say hello, quick!”

“Hello,” she said and nodded to the table.

“Hey professor, surprised to see you here,” Hilda smiled.

“Perfect timing though, maybe you can settle a debate between Hilda and me? You do have the inside eyes. I think the future king has a bit of a crush on the princess, but Hilda says I’m reading it wrong,” Claude winked. “Dimitri’s a stiff person to begin with, but it’s worse whenever he’s around Edelgard.”

“Claude, I am an expert at knowing who has a crush on who. It’s like a sixth sense to me. Trust me he doesn’t have a crush on her. You agree with me don’t you?” she asked Byleth.

“I couldn’t say. I haven’t noticed anything and it’s not something I would expect anyone to confide in me about. If I do see anything I will let you know,” Byleth responded.

“Still there is definitely something odd going on there. That does give me an idea though. With your association with the Blue Lions and our obvious involvement in the Golden Deer, we would just need someone on the inside of the Black Eagles and we’d be able to find out everything that’s going on.” Claude scoured the area the Black Eagles were sitting at. “No Bernadetta, hard to know things if you don’t leave your room. Edelgard is definitely out, she’s as open as a locked tomb.”

“No Hubert either, he gives me the creeps,” Hilda shuddered.

Claude nodded in agreement. “Ferdinand’s out, he’d think this was below his nobility. Petra is too new to Fodlan to have a keen insight for this type of work. Caspar is out too, he’s oblivious.”

“Aww, I think he’s kinda cute,” Hilda protested.

“That leaves Linhardt. Between him and Hilda, we don’t have the most ambitious team, but I think I can phrase it to entice his thirst for discovery,” Claude smiled.

“I don’t know what you are planning Claude, but I don’t think I’m suited for whatever it is,” Byleth said.

“I have to disagree with you there, teach. After watching you surprise Dimitri and me when you jumped out of that tree on our way to Garreg Mach, I think you have the exact skills we need. Now, don’t worry about the details, I’ll work everything out.” Claude stood from the table. “I’ll be in touch soon. Professor Hanneman assigned Hilda and me to help with the sky watch today so we have to head out.”

“I thought you said you’d take care of that for me Claude,” Hilda whined as she followed Claude out of the dining hall.

“That fool! To think you would be able to spot anything of use going on,” Sothis laughed. “That wasn’t exactly what I expected, but they did welcome you rather easily. Do you feel any better now?”

“It was a good distraction.” Byleth concentrated inward for a moment. “The feeling seems to have lessened a little. Though I don’t know about this little group Claude thinks he’s forming. He really went from wanting to know if Dimitri had a crush to something else entirely didn’t he?”

“He strikes me as someone who charms people into grand schemes. I’m sure no harm will come of it though. Let’s enjoy the day.”

Byleth departed from the dining hall, unsure of where to go next. It was her first day since accepting the position without any classes. Seteth mentioned wanting to meet with the professors to discuss the previous week and go over the schedule of seminars, but that wouldn’t be until the evening.

She found herself walking the familiar path to the library. She went a slower pace than her usual, allowing herself time to feel the crisp spring air as she walked. She dragged her hand along the stone walls relishing the coldness of their touch.

She paused briefly to watch Ashe try to small talk with Dedue as they weeded together. A task she assigned after being notified that each house had to delegate two students a week to certain chores. She could tell Ashe was earnest in his attempt at friendliness with the laconic man, but Dedue simply advised him not to associate with a man of Duscur like himself.

Byleth made note of Duscur in her head as she continued. She wasn’t well versed in the politics of Fodlan yet but vowed to make an effort to familiarize herself more. She would look in the library for more information on the subject while there.

She climbed the stairs that led to the library and passed the audience chamber and her father’s office. The library was dimly lit and the smell of old parchment and dust clung to the air. She quickly found Tomas at his desk near the entrance and asked where the section for geographical regions was located.

She found the section Tomas suggested and went about searching for information on Fodlan, specifically the Kingdom of Faerghus and Duscur. She traced the spine of each book and occasionally pulled one out before she had a small stack built up. With the books in hand, she found an empty desk to read at, where she spent the rest of her afternoon. 

Stiff from hours of sitting, Byleth stretched. She learned Duscur was a region to the north of Faerghus that was recently absorbed into the kingdom after a coup on the royal family that killed the king and queen. It became known as the Tragedy of Duscur and was blamed on the people of Duscur who were punished with near-complete genocide.

“What sad pasts some of your students have,” Sothis said. 

“To experience these hardships at such a young age too.” Byleth began to put her books away. “It must weigh heavily on them. I could have been kinder to the prince when talking to him about the truths of the battlefield. I could sense he was uncomfortable, but I thought nothing of it.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, you didn’t know.”

Byleth left to go to the pond. Her new knowledge weighed on her and fishing allowed her to clear her mind. Each cast of her line brought her more resolve to try to connect with her students more. She wanted to be someone who would help lessen their burdens as well as teach them.

The sun started to descend below the walls of the monastery. Seteth would be expecting her soon. She hurried to grab some food to eat on the way to his office. She walked quickly now, not wanting to be the last to show up. He was already weary of her and she didn’t want to upset him further.

She knocked and entered, taking the seat next to Hanneman as the three waited for Manuela.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” she said after joining them a few minutes later. “I was tied up in the infirmary.”

“Nothing serious, I should hope,” Seteth frowned in concern.

“There’s not a knot that I can’t undo,” she said with a wink.

“Right, moving on,” Seteth passed a sheet of paper to each of them. “There are three more weeks of classes before the mock battle and there’s three of you. You will each hold a seminar on a Friday after class. Manuela, yours is on faith magic, Hanneman will be on bows and Byleth with swords. The following month, I will schedule additional lecturers for the seminars. We want to give the students a well-rounded education. Any questions?”

Byleth and Hanneman both shook their heads no. Manuela was the only one to speak. “Fridays aren’t really a good night for me. I tend to be pretty busy.”

“Manuela, you can take a night off from drinking once in a while to focus on something actually beneficial,” Hanneman sighed. “What kind of example are you setting for the children?”

“The schedule is already set. You are dismissed,” Seteth said sternly.


	13. Seeking Answers

The weekend passed quickly, as they usually do. In class on Monday, the professor had the Blue Lions spar each other at the training grounds, but this time she had the class number off from one to three and group up with the others who shared their number. She explained that each group would be tasked to use either the ax, sword, or lance. The focus would be on understanding the weapon’s strengths and weaknesses against the other weapons. She paired off each student with one using a different weapon and had them spar while she observed and made recommendations when she saw fit.

Sylvain, with an ax, was partnered with Dimitri, who had a lance. Dimitri started with the idea that he would take it easy, knowing that Sylvain wasn’t as familiar with the ax, but that proved unnecessary after he lost the first round. He had to admit that Professor Byleth seemed to be good motivation for his usually lazy friend to take his training more seriously.

“Did you volunteer for the mock battle?” Dimitri asked in between attacks.

“Of course, I’m hoping it comes with extra training,” Sylvain swung his ax, nearly missing Dimitri as he jumped back.

“It seems quite a few of us have volunteered.” Dimitri swept his lance at Sylvain’s legs, who blocked it with the ax. “I wonder who she will choose, she must have some idea by now.”

“As house leader, you are probably guaranteed in, probably the first time I’ve been jealous of your position.” Sylvain tried disarming Dimitri but missed. “I imagine Mercedes will go as well for healing and either Ashe or Annette for range attacks.”

Dimitri managed to get a clear hit on Sylvain knocking him down. He offered his hand to Sylvain, who took it. “That would leave space for one additional person. Could be anyone though, the professor is hard to read.”

“Alright class,” they heard the professor call out, “that’s enough for today. We will be spending the rest of the week going over battle tactics against an enemy using a different weapon. I also have an update on seminars. For the remainder of the month, there will be one each Friday after class. This week will feature Professor Hanneman and bows. Next week will be faith magic with Professor Manuela and the week after I will be hosting one about swords. I plan on attending each one and encourage anyone with even a slight interest to go as well. You are dismissed unless tonight is your scheduled tutoring night.”

The rest of the class began to put away their equipment as Mercedes and Dedue approached the professor. “Thank you for staying. Mercedes, we will begin your lesson immediately, but I have a request for both of you. I plan on having dinner between the lessons, I was hoping you will join me.”

“Of course!” Mercedes exclaimed. Dedue merely nodded.

“Thank you. Dedue, please meet us at the fourth bell.” Byleth told Dedue who then departed after Dimitri. Byleth and Mercedes began their lesson on white magic, a topic she had requested help from Manuela with the day before.

“Ah Dedue, what was that about?” Dimitri asked as he saw him approach.

“The professor asked Mercedes and me to dine with her tonight.”

“I did hear that Captain Jeralt was away, but that is surprising.”

“If you do not wish for me to attend, you merely need to ask.”

“That’’s not what I meant, it is just unexpected. You have your extra lesson tonight, correct? Mercedes as well? I wonder if she will ask the same of each student on their scheduled day.” Dimitri was apprehensive about the thought. His lesson wasn’t until Thursday and he was unsure of who else would be there. His one on one conversations with Byleth did not go well before, but that was before she became their professor and he wanted to start anew. Hopefully, if she does ask them to dinner, it would be with someone who he can be at ease around. Felix had been cold to him since the mission in the kingdom they went on two years back and Sylvain would only hit on her the whole time. He wasn’t familiar with Ashe or Annette, they both were pleasant, but he hoped it would be Ingrid.

Dimitri and Dedue passed the time in the Knight’s Hall, enjoying each other’s silence as they read from the collection of tactical books. They spent a lot of their time together like this. After Dimitri saved Dedue during the Tragedy four years ago, the young Duscurian boy treated the prince as a friend, but the more familiar Dedue became with Faerghus the more formal and distant he was to Dimitri.

Dimitri yearned for the days when Dedue was a companion, not a vassal. Even his childhood friends began to treat him differently in recent years. The only person who still seemed unburdened by Dimitri’s future title was Sylvain. It was better than no one, but he had to admit Sylvain’s lifestyle was a bit questionable.

“Your highness,” Dedue rose and bowed to the prince. “It is time that I go. I should return in a couple of hours.”

“I think I will call it an early night,” Dimitri yawned. “I will see you in the morning Dedue.”

The pair parted and Dimitri made his way to the library. It was the first moment he had to himself since the training exercise that lead to him meeting Jeralt and the professor. Dedue had been more cautious about him getting into danger when he had heard about the news of the bandits. Of course, he appreciated his concern, but it did make Dimitri’s task at hand more difficult. His goal was his alone, he would not thrust his burden on anyone else. 

He glanced around as he entered the library, relishing its quiet. The only people present were Tomas and Linhardt, the latter was currently resting his head on his desk as he snoozed. Excellent, Dimitri thought. He set off to find the section that housed information on the Tragedy of Duscur, not knowing where to start and decided to begin at the beginning, when everything changed.

The first book he read through contained no new information for him. There was only a short section about the tragedy itself, the rest related to a brief overview of recent Kingdom history. Slowly, he read through the titles of books, occasionally thumbing through the more interesting ones before he found an area that contained mostly loose parchments. He grabbed a stack of these and sat at a nearby desk.

He read the contents of the top page and was excited to see that they were reports to the Church about the tragedy. Quickly, he found ink and parchment near Tomas’ desk. “You seem to be diligently studying,” the old man’s face crinkled into a smile. “Anything that I can help you with?”

“Thank you, but I am just doing some extra preparation for my class,” Dimitri tried to say as confidently as he could. Lying wasn’t something he was good at, but the librarian seemed to believe it.

He read quickly through the papers. Most of what they held, he already knew, but new questions began to surface. There were mentions of nobles in the western region of the Kingdom being against King Lambert’s goal of peace with Duscur and his diplomatic mission to the region. He jotted down a reminder for himself to look up the reigning lords at the time in the west.

Near the middle of the papers, they started detailing the beginning of the attack. He looked away, trying to push aside the anguish that threatened to overcome him whenever he thought back to that day. He silenced the voices of torment in his head and turned the page, only to realize large sections of the remaining document were blacked out. There were only brief parts that he could read.

“...unknown men approached right flank in the mist…..surrounded the king…..a deserted carriage stood among flames….the prince in poor condition….”

Everything of use was missing. He was lost in thought about where an unaltered version could be when he heard a voice behind him.

“I see you too are a victim of Seteth’s black marker,” Claude smirked, pleased he caught the prince off guard. “I always assumed you only read to benefit your training, but it looks like you’ve stumbled on something more interesting. I underestimated you.”

“Claude?” Dimitri gasped in surprise. “This is all just a tangent on something the professor asked me to look into,” He quickly stacked the papers to return them to their home. “What are you doing here?”

“A little bird told me I’d find Linhardt in here. The bird was right, but he’s sleeping of course and you looked more interesting at the moment.”

“Well, I assure you, I am not very interesting. I have to be off,” Dimitri bowed and began to leave with his notes folded discreetly in his pocket.

“If you do find where the full documents are, let me know. I’m always looking for useful information,” he called out as the prince left.

Linhardt would have to wait, Claude thought as he turned back to the bookcase he saw Dimitri at. He scanned the shelves, not seeing the parchments until he noticed some books were skewed. 

“That tricky prince,” he whispered to himself as he removed the books and found the parchments behind them. He quickly skimmed the pages. Now why was he looking into the Tragedy, Claude thought to himself. He could feel there was something more to this. The prince was being too secretive for this to be some research for the professor.

Claude left the library, leaving Linhardt to another day. What he needed now was the privacy of his room and a notebook to start filling about this new mystery. He felt the tingle of excitement. He knew all secrets had their use eventually and this one felt big.

Byleth, Dedue, and Mercedes made idle small talk as they ate. Mercedes struggled to keep the conversation going, her two companions were particularly quiet people. Finally, Byleth stood and gestured to Dedue before wishing Mercedes goodnight. The training went well with Dedue, his size made him formidable with both gauntlets and axes. He was a man of a few words though and with Byleth being similar, it led to a peculiarly silent session.

“I guess that was a start,” Sothis said once Byleth departed for her room. “You’ll have to try harder to add to conversations for them to open up though.”

“I know,” Byleth said. She was already trying to come up with talking points in her head. As she readied herself for bed, she thought of a million different things she could have said or added earlier.

“Don’t think about using divine pulse to go back in time to say those things,” Sothis said, privy to the thoughts in Byleth’s head. “The power is too great to abuse in such a way and I have little faith you’d do any better on a second attempt.”

Still, Byleth spent a restless night thinking how the conversations could have gone differently. Occasionally she would get up and write down ideas, questions that she should ask the students, or things she could mention about herself.


	14. A Club of Sorts

The rest of the week Byleth had little time outside of classes and the additional training. Each day she asked the students who were scheduled that day for extra lessons to dinner. Some went more smoothly than others. Ashe and Annette were cheerful and Byleth found it easy to converse with them as neither seemed too secretive. Byleth listened intently as Ashe described his upbringing, from losing his parents to a plague that ravished the Kingdom to being adopted by Lord Lonato after he caught Ashe attempting to steal from his home to provide for his younger siblings. Annette went on about the School of Sorcery she attended before and meeting Mercedes and her life with her mother and uncle.

Sylvain spent most of the dinner hitting on Byleth, something that Sothis had to inform her he was doing. Consequently, Ingrid spent the majority of time elbowing him and apologizing for his behavior. The pair bickered like siblings, but Byleth appreciated the familiarity between them.

It was Felix and Dimitri’s dinner that she struggled with the most. All attempts Dimitri made to talk to Felix were met with one-word answers or grunts. Byleth tried to lead the conversation by asking about their time in Faerghus, but Felix wasn’t particularly forthcoming with his answers. Eventually, she began to discuss her training with Jeralt as a child, a topic that piqued both students’ interest. She spent most of the focus on his initial attempts at teaching her to ride horses. It wasn’t a talent she inherited from her father. She mentioned one particular instance of her horse beelining to a mud pit that he proceeded to roll in while she was mounted. She was surprised when she heard laughter from the men as she finished the story. 

At the end of class on Friday, Byleth made her way to Professor Hanneman’s lecture. She never had a lot of interest in bows, but with Ashe focusing his attention on them, she wanted to gain better knowledge in them as well. Most of her free time anymore was taken up by learning the skills she put off for so long. A good mercenary only needed to excel with one weapon while the best took it upon themselves to become adept at a few to have an advantage in different combats, but none were versed in every skill. Byleth quickly learned that being a professor required knowledge in all for her students to best succeed. 

She entered the classroom and looked around only to realize she beat everyone, but Hanneman to the lecture. As she was about to sit in the back row, Hanneman waved her forward eagerly.

“Ah, just the person I was hoping to see. You are already showing more initiative than that Manuela ever does. She’s probably off to town by now, at a bar most likely, but that’s not what I wanted to discuss. It’s about your crest or should I say the crest I suspect you have,” he spoke eagerly. “I have to admit, I snuck in to watch you train with the students of yours once or twice. Your skill has led me to suspect that you may be influenced by a crest. Please, stop by my office soon so I can test my hypothesis.”

Byleth nodded quickly in response as students began to enter the room. She made her way to a seat in the back when she saw Ashe, Mercedes, and Annette enter the room.

“Professor, come sit with us!” Annette exclaimed and Byleth obliged.

“I wasn’t aware you had an interest in bows at all Annette,” Byleth said and wondered if she should add it to her training as well.

“Well, it’s not something I’m super interested in, but I want to learn as much as I can while I’m here. When else will I get an opportunity like this?”

“Annette and Mercedes are both here on my account, I’m afraid,” Ashe sighed. “I wasn’t certain about coming and when they heard, they insisted I did and that they’d join as well.”

“We’re happy to be here with you Ashe. It’ll do us good to expand our knowledge as well,” Mercedes smiled sweetly at him.

Hanneman asked for silence as he began his lecture. Byleth looked around to see who came from the other houses. From the Black Eagles, Petra was sitting next to Bernadetta who was trying to hide behind books in the corner of the room. Hubert sat a few tables away from them, alone. She caught Bernadetta’s eyes darting suspiciously at him on more than one occasion. The Golden Deer all sat next to each other and outnumbered the students in the rest of the houses. Claude sat confidently in the middle of his house’s section with Leonie, Ignatz, Lorenz, and, to Byleth’s surprise, a very bored looking Hilda.

The seminar stayed mostly on topic and when finished, Byleth felt she had a better understanding of bows. At one point he had everyone practice different techniques with foamed tip training bows in class and Byleth was pleased that her class all managed to hit their mark at least once.

She was preparing to leave with the Blue Lions when Claude came over with Hilda on his heel. “Excuse me, professor, do you have a moment to speak with us in private?” Claude asked in his most cordial voice.

Byleth nodded, wished her students a good weekend, and followed the pair of deer out of the classroom. Claude led them to a quiet section of the courtyard where she noticed Linhardt seemed to be waiting for them. 

“Let’s get straight to business,” Claude announced.

“Claude, I showed up like you asked me to, but what is this about? It’s already cutting into my nap time and the tone you’re using makes me think this will be a lot of work,” Linhardt ended with a drawn-out yawn.

“I’m glad you ask. As someone who isn’t familiar with the customs of the other nations outside the Alliance, I wanted to create a group of like-minded individuals who I could learn from. With a lot of consideration, I decided the best man up for this task from Black Eagles was the heir to the Ministry of the Interior who has a thirst for knowledge. That’s you, Linhardt, and of course from the Blue Lions, who better than their enigmatic professor. Hilda mostly just invited herself along.”

“Hey, that was kind of a lackluster introduction for me. I‘d rather be in town now, but you threatened me with more training if I didn’t come,” Hilda frowned at Claude.

“It sounds like you are just trying to find out the gossip from each house. If that’s the case, you’d have better luck asking Ferdinand, I don’t have a need for idle pursuits like that,” Linhardt sighed.

“Nonsense, this is more of a group seeking knowledge of each region and solving any mystery we may come across, including anything involving crests of the region. I overheard our very own teach here might even have one, maybe it’s new.” Byleth could tell Linhardt became more interested as Claude spoke. “Consider it a club of sorts, we even have our very own faculty advisor.”

“I’m sorry Claude, but I’m not very familiar with any of the regions. My life before this never allowed for me to stay in one area long enough to become acquainted with it,” it was Byleth’s turn to raise objections.

“You’re the perfect person to look at everything objectively then,” Claude smiled mischievously. “Who knows, with your help maybe we can even get the prince to join our ragtag team eventually. I have it on good knowledge that he’s interested in this kind of thing.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s call it a night. We should keep this a secret society, for now, gives it a sense of mystique. Meet Hilda and me here again at the eighth bell on Tuesday night. I’ll go more into detail on everything during our first official meeting.”

Claude and Hilda left the others and went to the dining hall for a late supper. 

“What was that all about, Claude?” Hilda asked confused over what transpired.

“I would think you out of everyone would want to know what’s going on in the other houses,” Claude answered, avoiding going into too much detail.

“Well, I suppose, but a secret club? Doesn’t that seem a little extreme?” She exaggerated her words as she asked the question.

“It makes it more exciting.” Claude responded coolly. “Anyways, have you heard from your brother Holst?” He changed the topic quickly to something he knew Hilda would prefer.

“Actually, I got another letter today. I swear he writes them faster than I can respond and it’s always about how great he thinks I must be doing at the academy,” Hilda started. 

Claude half listened as she continued to talk about Holst through the rest of dinner. He was too preoccupied with plans for their next meeting on Tuesday. He still had questions about the bandit attack, it felt too personal to be a mere robbery. Most bandits would have relented at the sight of the mercenaries joining them. Then there was Dimitri being secretive in the library when Claude caught him reading the Church documents on the Tragedy of Duscur. Each week seemed to bring more mysteries for Claude to solve and he knew he’d need people from all the houses to adequately solve them. It was a leap of faith trusting Hilda, Linhardt, and Byleth, but it was the only feasible plan he had at the moment.

Hilda stood and startled Claude who was still deep in thought. “Well, a girl needs her beauty sleep,” Hilda said with a yawn and stretch. “Have a good night Claude.”

“Yeah, you too Hilda,” Claude waved her goodbye. He followed shortly after.


	15. A Rendezvous at the Eighth Bell

Byleth spent the weekend avoiding her students. It seemed counterproductive when she was making it her goal to get to know them better, but within the first few hours of her Saturday, each student hinted about wanting to know her selection for the mock battle. Admittedly, hinted wasn’t the right word for some of them. Felix cornered her in the dining room and argued that she’d had plenty of time to think about it. He was right and she already knew who she would select. She just didn’t want to disappoint any of them this soon. Tuesday, she told herself. She’d let them know on Tuesday. She already had the second part of Claude’s little scheme to worry about on that day so she might as well add the mock battle too. 

Instead, she spent her time in the library looking into the history of the Church of Seiros and Garreg Mach at Sothis’ insistence. All the books were filled with dates, but nothing of true sustenance. Occasionally she would ask Sothis if anything jumped out to her, but the answer was always no.

“This is worthless,” Sothis said on Sunday. “We’ve spent too much time pouring through these books to have no results. I’m telling you, it’s time to start asking people what they know.”

Byleth hesitated before agreeing. She would ask her father at the very least when he returns. Perhaps, Claude’s little group could even prove to be beneficial to them. It seems like the mysteries that shroud Garreg Mach would at least entice the young heir.

Tuesday came too quickly. Byleth made sure to be the first to the classroom and wrote the name of the four students joining her in battle on the chalkboard. She watched each student come in and look at the board. Some smiled to themselves while others frowned. Byleth had to make amends with not pleasing everyone, there are so few times you can.

Byleth stood once all the students were present. “I have made a final decision on the mock battle. The students joining me will be Dedue, Mercedes, Ashe, and Felix. I wish I was allowed to take you all, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Keep the lineup to yourselves, I don’t want the other houses to know beforehand. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to me after class.”

She heard some of the students grumble, but the class went well. She dismissed the students at the end and both Ashe and Dimitri idled behind. 

“Ashe, I will meet you at the training grounds unless you have a question.” Byleth said. Ashe nodded and gave Dimitri a reassuring smile as he left.

Byleth went to where Dimitri still sat and leaned against the desk in front of him. “You’re wondering why I didn’t select you?” Dimitri could only nod. “Both Professor Hanneman and Manuela will pick their house leader and they will expect me to do that as well.” Again, Dimitri only nodded. “They will formulate a strategy around defeating you. That also meant I had to forfeit the use of Sylvain and Ingrid, they’ll be prepared for any lance user.”

“I understand,” Dimitri spoke distantly. He quickly got up and wished her a good night, leaving Byleth no opportunity to respond. Sylvain and Ingrid were waiting for him outside the classroom. 

“Well, what did she say?” Sylvain asked.

“She said that the other teams would expect me and therefore she decided against anyone who uses lance,” Dimitri said. He hurried to the dining hall as his two friends trailed behind him.

“I have to admit, that does make sense,” Ingrid said once they got to their table. “Surprise is a good strategy in combat.” They ate mostly in silence, each secretly grieving the loss of their opportunity to prove themselves in the battle.

Byleth tried to be attentive during the training but was distracted by thoughts of the battle as well. Her confidence in the selection wavered after talking to Dimitri. Sothis did her best to reassure the young professor of her decision throughout each lesson and dinner. Annette took the news much better and didn’t mention it at all during her training. She was as chipper as ever and Byleth appreciated her upbeat nature. The gingered girl always had a way of brightening whatever room she was in.

Annette’s training ended at the eighth bell. Byleth wished her a good night before setting off across campus to meet Claude and the others. She walked slowly and listened to the sound her boots made on the hard stone with each step. In the past, there weren’t many situations she felt completely in the dark about, but now that’s changed. This particular situation with Claude being the most peculiar currently.

She greeted Claude and Hilda as she approached their hidden corner of the courtyard. The pair brought a blanket to sit on and Byleth eyed the collection of desserts in the center.

“I hope you didn’t steal those from the dining hall,” Byleth said.

“These?” Claude gestured to the sweets. “Don’t worry, I got them on the up and up. Looks like we’re waiting on Linhardt. I am a bit worried he won’t show up. The Black Eagles don’t really give us a lot of options if we’re looking for someone who is in the know and can keep this quiet.”

“I am flattered you think so highly of me.” The group looked towards the bushes that the voice came from. They saw Linhardt appear from behind them, stretching as he walked. “As it so happens, I was the first one here. It’s just that that spot looked inviting for a nap and I grew dreadfully tired waiting for you.” 

Hilda looked at Linhardt in awe. “You’re a real inspiration, Liny.”

“Umm, thanks?” Linhardt raised his eyebrows at the pink-haired woman. “Now Claude, are you going to give us a real explanation of why we’re all here?”

“Teach, remember when we first met? A bandit threatened to take the life of a devilishly handsome heir, that’s me. I managed to escape initially but was followed, thanks to the other two house leaders tagging behind me. If it wasn’t for you, there’s a very real possibility we would’ve died.” Claude rubbed his throat dramatically.

“Yes, I remember.”

“See, there’s something that’s been bothering me since then. Each one of us makes for a worthy target for a thief, but these bandits wanted us dead. Obviously, there would be people who would benefit from any of our deaths, but to kill the only direct heirs to all three regions would throw all of Fodlan into chaos. It doesn’t make any sense to try and explain this as a simple assassination attempt. Between that and the original professor who disappeared and the knights being conveniently distracted by plumes of smoke in the distance at the time, it was obviously well planned. That would rule out the notion that this was all coincidence.” Claude rubbed his forehead as he concentrated on what he remembered that night. He’d been over it countless times and hadn’t gotten any closer to the answers he sought.

“And how does this involve the professor and me?” Linhardt asked.

“I need eyes and ears in each of the houses and the Church,” a seriousness glazed Claude’s eyes as he spoke. “Usually I would prefer to investigate this on my own, but even if I had an endless amount of time, there’s only so much I can find on my own. The Church’s library is too severely censored to be of much use and people here seem more guarded.”

“I suppose I’d be lying if I said you didn’t pique my interest. I can’t make any promises of being able to find anything useful, but I’ll see what mysteries I can unravel in my house at least.” Linhardt thought for a few moments before speaking, “However, in return, you have to let me study your crest... and convince the other Golden Deer to let me study theirs as well.”

Claude smiled, “I’ll see what I can arrange.” He looked expectantly at Byleth. “What do you say teach?”

“I’m not opposed to helping you, but I still don’t think I have much to offer,” Byleth sighed.

“I have to disagree with you there,” Claude’s smile returned to his face. “Something tells me you’re just the person we’ll need.”

“Claude,” Hilda frowned, “what about me? What’s my important role in all of this?”

“You’re going to play the role of the black widow. I’ve seen your work, Hilda. You have quite the knack of tricking the men at this academy into giving you what you want. All I’m asking for is to want information from them once in a while instead of favors,” Claude winked.

“Ooo, that sounds like fun. I’m always looking for a new challenge for my charm. I don’t appreciate being compared to a spider though.”

“It’s a compliment,” Claude said and then stood. “I think this is a good stopping point for the night. Let’s wait on meeting again until after the mock battle, I don’t want people to start to notice us.” 

The group bade each other good night before filtering out of the courtyard. Byleth was the last to leave and headed straight for her room.

“What do you think of all of this?” Sothis asked as she walked.

“I’m not sure. His reasoning was valid and he did seem honest in this regard,” Byleth said. “But I’m not sure how his prying will lead to answers about what the bandit was truly after. I doubt we will see him again and if there are more involved, it’s probably some noble far removed from here.”


	16. Mock Battle

The free moments Byleth had were already scarce with her heavy workload from class, but readying the students for the mock battle and preparing for her seminar eliminated all her idle time. She was thankful that Claude’s scheme was temporarily put on hold so she could focus her energy on her work. Still, it was difficult to find the time to even attend Manuela’s faith seminar, which she felt she desperately needed. 

In moments of self-doubt, she’d whisper to herself about just needing to get through to the battle. The promise of her father’s return to the monastery guided her forward as a reminder that not everything had changed. When she let her mind drift, she found herself reminiscing of their times as mercenaries. The work was hard, but at least she was confident in her abilities then.

“Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to change what is,” Sothis said the night before the seminar. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. The students will understand if you’re not an expert at everything.”

“How will they grow if I fall behind? Mercedes and Annette are already talented with magics, I have nothing I can offer in way of new spells, and eventually, I will run out of tactical suggestions as well.” Byleth sighed as she pushed away from the desk in her room. She went over her plan for the seminar twice already, but thought of new topics to add while she tried to sleep.

“You rely on others. When you were a child, was it Jeralt who taught you everything?”

“He taught me a lot, but he did hire tutors for conventional studies and had other mercenaries help teach me as well.”

“Exactly, no one can possibly know everything. The students have seminars to attend outside of yours and you can ask the other professors and knights for help too. “

“You may be right.”

“Of course I am! Now go to bed. You have a busy day ahead of you.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


Once the commotion of students entering the class died down she glanced about the room to see who all was in attendance for the seminar. She was pleased to see all the Blue Lions there and thought that Annette or Mercedes must have convinced them to come. Edelgard sat in the midst of the Black Eagles with Hubert hovering near, along with Petra, Ferdinand, and Dorothea. The Golden Deer sat near the front. Claude must’ve dragged Hilda along who shouted “you’re doing a great job already!” when Byleth made eye contact with the woman.

She started the lecture, but mere minutes passed before she saw a figure enter the classroom and sit towards the back. She brightened as a slight smile danced upon her face for a moment when she realized it was Jeralt. His presence steadied her as she proceeded through the seminar.

When she dismissed the students she approached him immediately. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow?”

“What kind of greeting is that?” he teased as he pulled her into a hug. “The goddess must have wanted me to watch you in action. The mission didn’t take as long as predicted. We actually got back this afternoon, but Seteth wouldn’t let me interrupt your class. Bit of an arrogant jerk, that one. Anyways, you must be starving, let’s go to the dining hall.”

They made their way to their usual corner table in the dining hall, immersed in Jeralt’s retelling of the mission. At a table near theirs sat the Blue Lions.

“Did the professor’s face seem different to any of you?” Dimitri asked as the table ate in harmonious silence.

“Hmm?” Mercedes looked up dreamily from her plate. “Different how so?”

“I- I am not sure. It was probably nothing,” Dimitri answered. He was sure that for an instance he saw warmth touch the professor’s face. It was the first flicker of expression he had seen from her since their meeting.

“Seems like you’re paying awful close attention to the professor’s face, Dimitri. Do I have some competition? That’s too big of a fish for you, you need to leave it to the master,” Sylvain laughed.

“It’s not that at all,” Dimitri responded quickly. “Though, I must ask again that you please show her respect. She is our teacher after all, not some skirt for you to chase.”

Dedue nodded to the table in the corner. “Looks like Jeralt is back from his mission, your highness. Perhaps, it was related to that.”

The Blue Lions all glanced over to see Jeralt and Byleth deep in conversation. Jeralt gestured enthusiastically as his daughter watched. “Yes,” Dimitri said, “you are probably right. Anyway, tomorrow is an important day. We should all try and get some rest.” The table followed their house leader towards the dorms.

  


* * *

* * *

  


Byleth entered the field for the mock battle flanked by Dedue and Felix. Mercedes and Ashe trailed behind them as they approached the location Seteth designated for the class. Felix paced eagerly as they waited for the bell to announce the start of the competition. 

The hill overlooking the field held the students not participating, along with Jeralt, Seteth, and Rhea. A mix of emotions painted their faces from disappointment to excitement. Seteth stood near a bell, ready to ring it the moment Rhea indicated. Jeralt watched his daughter’s group. They were already in what looked like an arrowhead formation while they waited. He looked to the other groups that were more spread out through the field. Good, he thought, her years of real-life combat experience will prove beneficial.

The Blue Lions looked to the hill as they heard the bell ring. “What will you have us do?” Dedue asked.

“We will remain here. I want to see which house is brazened enough to make the first move,” Byleth responded while she scanned the field for any movement. A path carved its way through the forest in front of them. It was the most direct way to their position, but going through the trees would offer cover.

They did not have to wait long. Lorenz came charging down the path and was followed by Ignatz who hovered near the outskirts of the forest. When Lorenz saw the Lions and increased his speed.

“Dedue, take care of him,” Byleth pointed towards Lorenz. “Mercedes, stay with Dedue and offer him support as needed. Ashe, start shooting at Ignatz and provide Felix a distraction while he goes through the forest to attack him. I will scout ahead through the woods on the other side of the path to see who else may be near. I’ll meet you near where Ignatz is standing afterward.”

Once she saw that her students were following her commands, she set off to the trees on the right of the path. She crept silently until she approached another clearing. The Black Eagles were positioned near a ruin.

“Dorothea,” Edelgard said, “head to the front lines and draw the enemy toward us. We will wait here and stop them when they come.”

The brunette woman nodded and started to make her way to the path that led to the Blue Lions. As quickly as she could, Byleth went back to her students to forewarn them. They were waiting where she left them while Ignatz and Lorenz made the trek to the hill.

“Is everyone doing alright?” she asked and they nodded in response. “Good. Dorothea is on her way here. Let’s quickly move to the trees for cover.”

The class hid behind the trunks of the largest trees. Ashe and Mercedes had their bows ready for when Dorothea would be in range. Finally, she appeared. As the arrows shot, Felix charged at her with his sword before she had a chance to ready a spell. She hit the ground with an oomph.

“Ouch.” Dorothea stood and rubbed her ribs. “You didn’t need to hit me that hard.”

“Taking it easy on you would be an insult,” Felix called after her as she made her way to the hill. “Well, what now?”

“The Black Eagles are congregated at some ruins to the right of the path. I haven’t seen the rest of the Deer yet, but I suspect they’ll be to the left. They have fewer people now, but I don’t like not knowing exactly where they all could be. It’d leave us too open for Claude’s arrows. Let’s stick to the trees and head towards Edelgard.”

Slowly, they made their way through the forested area. The Black Eagles lingered near the ruins they were by before. There were more than Byleth wanted to fight all at once. She eyed the ground before finding a decent size rock that she threw at a tree ten feet away. The noise alerted Edelgard and she gestured to Hubert and Ferdinand to its direction. 

The two approached the area of the sound. It wasn’t much, but the distance between them and Edelgard and Manuela would provide the Lions a few additional seconds to overpower them. The two men readied for an attack as they drew near. At Byleth’s nod, Dedue charged at Ferdinand while she and Felix went to Hubert. Arrows fired wildly as they began their assault. Edelgard sprinted towards them when she realized what was happening.

Hubert was the first to fall, unable to defend himself from the two sword wielders. As Felix went to join Dedue, who was now stuck in combat between Ferdinand and Edelgard, he was hit by an arrow in the chest.

“You’re supposed to hit the people from the other houses,” Felix grumbled at the archers as he started for the hill.

“It wasn’t either of us,” Ashe called out.

Byleth hurriedly struck Ferdinand’s back with her sword while he was distracted and freed Dedue to focus on Edelgard. Claude must be near, she thought as she signaled Ashe and Mercedes to shoot at Edelgard. 

“Thanks for taking care of the Black Eagles for us teach!” Claude yelled as he stepped into the clearing. He shot the eliminating arrow at Edelgard.

“Dramatic as always Claude,” Edelgard sighed as she moved off-field. 

Byleth began her frontal pursuit of Claude to provide Dedue the distraction he needed to make his way through the trees near the ruins to attack the Golden Deer house leader. A grunt caught her attention as she saw Dedue on his knees, a pink-haired woman standing above him began to chant “Hilda! Hilda!”

“Yeah, yeah, good job Hilda,” Claude yelled to her. “But did you take care of Manuela like I asked?”

“Sure did and it was a lot of work. Walking through these trees isn’t easy you know!”

That meant the Black Eagles were eliminated, but Hanneman was still unaccounted for. This isn’t ideal, Byleth thought as she gestured to Claude. Ashe and Mercedes started towards him to lessen the distance and then fired at him. They forced Claude’s attention on them and allowed Byleth an opportunity to attack Hilda. One blow to the woman and she dramatically fainted. The infirmary monks ran towards her and quickly got her on a stretcher to take her away. Her eyes flickered open to quickly wink at Byleth as she passed before returning to her ruse.

Claude focused his attention on Byleth. The loss of Hilda made the situation grow direr for the Deer. Mercedes made her way closer to Claude while he was distracted by the professor. She approached the trees behind him when she felt an arrow hit her chest, causing her to fall back. Hanneman must have been nearby.

Another thud was heard, Byleth quickly looked for the source. It was Claude’s turn, this time. Ashe’s arrow laid near, eliminating the house leader and only leaving Hanneman. Byleth quickly made her way to Ashe. They planned a pincer attack on the other professor and quickly parted.

Ashe found Hanneman’s hiding spot in the woods and began to target the man who returned fire. Byleth dashed from the trees and swung her sword at his torso causing him to buckle.

“I’m glad this was only a mock battle,” Hanneman took Byleth’s offered hand as he rose. “I’d hate to think of how much pain I’d be in if that was a real sword.”

“The winners are the Blue Lions” Rhea announced once Hanneman, Ashe, and Byleth joined the others. “All the houses did well and should be proud of themselves.” She smiled warmly at the students.

“Good job, kid,” Jeralt said as he approached Byleth. “Those brats have one hell of a leader.” The pair began to follow Seteth and Rhea to the monastery.

“Professor,” Dimitri called from behind them. “I was hoping we could all share a meal as a way to celebrate the victory and go over the battle. What do you think?”

Byleth turned and saw her students all grouped near the prince. “A victory celebration?”

“Yes and we were hoping you would join,” Dimitri responded as the others nodded.

“That sounds... nice,” she said as she waited for them to join her.

Jeralt walked on on his own. He was hoping to use this time to tell her about her past, but that could wait. He smiled to himself, it seemed like the students were growing fond of Byleth. Maybe coming back to the monastery wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to stick with a Wednesday afternoon posting schedule from here on out.
> 
> Writing action scenes like this is a bit of a hurdle for me, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Thank you for reading! I appreciate it :)


	17. A Needed Conversation

To the chagrin of the others, Dimitri spent most of the dinner analyzing each moment of the battle. Occasionally, when Byleth answered his questions about specific maneuvers, he would quickly jot down notes. When the other students began to talk among themselves Dimitri would shoot them a pointed look.

“Dimitri,” Claude’s voice came from behind, “I’m sure the lovely professor will go over everything in class on Monday. Maybe you should spend this time actually celebrating.”

“Yesss,” groaned Sylvain. “I’m dying of boredom over here.” He dropped his head to the table with a bang and went slack-jawed. Ashe laughed and nudged him, but Sylvain didn’t stop the act. From across the table, Ingrid swiftly kicked him in the shin. He bolted up and glared at her while he rubbed his leg.

“Anyways, I just wanted to tell everyone congratulations. Teach,” Claude turned to Byleth, “Professor Hanneman wants you to stop by his office before your meeting with Rhea and Seteth tomorrow. Good night!”

  


* * *

* * *

  


Byleth knocked on the engraved wooden door of Hanneman’s office. “Come in!” she heard him call from the other side. With a slight push, she was able to open it. She looked around the littered room with mild interest. The walls were covered in handwritten notes, some pages containing only large unfamiliar figures. A mechanical device laid in the center of the room that she gingerly stepped around to approach the man.

“Ahh, I see I was right in trusting Claude to deliver the message. Here, sit,” he motioned to a chair tucked away in the corner. “As you know, I had speculated heavily that you have a crest. I feel your prowess during the mock battle proved it, but I was hoping I could run a quick test to verify.”

“What kind of test?” Byleth asked suspiciously. She heard rumors from the students that Hanneman’s tests verged on invasive. 

“Nothing bad, I just need you to hold your arm over that machine.” He motioned to the device in the center. “It’ll detect if you have a crest and which one. It won’t hurt, in fact, it’s common for nobles to use it on newborns.”

Hanneman guided her to the machine. It lit up as it sensed her hand above it, pulsating different shades of purple into the air. A few moments passed and a symbol appeared, hovering above it.

“Strange,” Hanneman mumbled and quickly drew the image into his notebook. “You definitely have a crest, but I do not recognize it. Could it be a crest that has not yet been discovered?”

“Ahem,” they heard a voice from the doorway. Seteth’s stern face peered into the office. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the lit crest symbol. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but Lady Rhea has been waiting for our meeting with Byleth.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I must have rattled on more than I intended,” Hanneman sighed as he closed his notebook. “I’ll be in touch with you after I’ve done more research on this mysterious crest of yours. Thank you for stopping by.”

Byleth followed Seteth out of the office and to the audience chamber. An uncomfortable silence followed as they walked. “It seems Hanneman was keeping the new professor busy, Rhea,” Seteth informed the archbishop as they entered the room.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long,” Byleth said politely with a slight bow to the Rhea.

“Don’t worry yourself with that,” Rhea smiled warmly. “Your class was impressive, to say the least, during the battle. The performance helped us decide your upcoming mission.”

“Yes, it will be slightly more difficult than the others,” Seteth said. “Our scouts have been tracking the bandits that attacked the house leaders, the same ones you fought against a month ago. They are very near to finding their location. When they do, it will be your class’ mission quell them”

“Do not worry,” Rhea interrupted. “The Knight’s of Seiros will be there as well. The students will be relatively safe.”

“We will need you and your class to be ready to send out as soon as we have word on their location. There’s no telling when it will be. Do you understand?” Byleth nodded in reply. “Good.”

Byleth bowed and turned towards the door, but Seteth stopped her. “One more thing,” he said with a slight annoyance in his voice. “Claude will be joining you as additional support for the mission. It seems he somehow caught wind of the news and insists that Duke Riegan demands that he goes. Typically, we prefer the house leaders to remain with their own class for the missions, but the Church cannot deny a request from the Duke. You are dismissed.”

She made her way down the hall towards Jeralt’s office. Her fist was raised to the door, ready to knock, when Claude appeared, leaning against the wall next to her.

“Seteth tell you the news?” Claude grinned mischievously. She lowered her hand and turned towards him. “Looks like I’ll be a regular Blue Lion this month. I hope Lorenz doesn’t try to use this as a ploy to kick me out of the Alliance.”

“Did the Duke really request that you join the mission?”

“No, but I did and I’m the future Duke so I figured, close enough,” he shrugged. “I just have some questions for the bandit before the Church gets to him. This probably isn’t something to talk about out in the open though. As long as the mission isn’t called, let’s plan on meeting Sunday night.”

He waved as he walked off towards the library. Byleth turned towards the door and knocked. The faint sound of a chair scraping on stone informed her that her father was there before he had the chance to answer. The frown on his face quickly disappeared when he looked out and saw Byleth waiting.

“Just the person I wanted to see,” he smiled down at her. “Probably the only person I’d want to see honestly.” He stepped to the side as she came in and sat in the seat across from his desk.

“Do you want some tea?” Jeralt asked as he closed the door. He was relieved when she nodded, making the drink offered him time to collect his thoughts. He was happy to listen to her talk about the upcoming mission while the tea brewed. He set a teacup in front of her before taking his own seat behind the desk.

“Are you still happy with the decision to stay here?”

She contemplated the question as she stirred sugar into her tea. “I can’t say it hasn’t been challenging, but being able to remain in one place has been nice.”

“That’s good.” Jeralt shifted uncomfortably in his chair in the brief silence that followed. “I think it’s time that you learn more about your past and your mother.”

Jeralt started by describing Sitri. It was the first time he talked about her since leaving the monastery. Each story he told awoken more and more feelings as he fought the sting of tears in his eyes. He told Byleth the moment he knew he was in love when he saw how brightly she smiled after he gave her a valerian he picked on the previous mission, and how his wish for Byleth is to find the same love with someone else. He sighed as he began to describe Sitri’s relationship with Rhea. The way Sitri told it, Rhea was a surrogate mother to her, but now he speculates there was something more sinister involved.

He looked Byleth long and hard in the eye. “That brings me to your part of the story. Sitri and I wed and soon after she was with child. It was the happiest I’d ever seen her. She went into labor the morning I was due back from a mission. I rushed to be with her when the gatekeeper told me the news, but it was too late. Rhea said she passed during childbirth. I had my suspicions that Rhea wasn’t being honest, but thought it was grief making me cast blame onto her. A week later I consulted a medic who said the baby had no heartbeat, that’s when I knew I needed to escape. You were born at Garreg Mach on the 20th of the Horsebow Moon in Imperial year 1159 and we left two weeks later.

“I understand if you’re mad at me for keeping this from you,” he said when Byleth remained silent.

“I’m not mad. It’s just,” she sighed, “it’s just a lot of information.”

“I hope you can understand now why I’m hesitant to trust Rhea?” Byleth nodded. “I don’t know everything and most I know is just speculation, but if you have any questions I’ll try and answer them.”

“The 20th of the Horsebow moon, so that would make me,” she paused as she did the math.

“Twenty and that’s something you should probably keep to yourself for now.”

“What do you think Rhea did?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe she didn’t even do anything, but I have a hard time believing that’s the case.” Jeralt gave Byleth a serious look. “If anything would happen to me, search this office. I have everything written down and hidden in here.” The tenth bell sounded in the distance. “I have to meet Alois now, but please come to me if you need anything. I know this was a lot to throw on you.”

Byleth left for her dorm room. Her mind was filled with all her father said and Sothis’ voice.

“I suppose that maybe this is why you feel drawn here,” Sothis said.

“Possibly.”

“Do you think what Rhea did, could it possibly be related to me? Has all this time I’ve spent with you truly been a curse?” Sothis asked her voice hardly a whisper.

“I don’t think you are a curse,” Byleth retorted. “If what Rhea did involved you, maybe there was a good reason it happened.”

“You say that but I was asleep in you for so many years and now that I’m awake, you have started feeling emotions unlike before. Was that due to me? I can’t ignore it as a mere coincidence anymore. Could your mother’s death involve me somehow too?”

“Stop,” Byleth said firmly. “Even if my lack of emotions was due to you, I didn’t miss them. I can’t say my life has been any better with them than it was without.”

“You say that now, but there will come a time when you realize how powerful emotions are and you will resent me then,” Sothis interjected quickly.

Byleth entered her room and sat on her bed. She leaned against the wall, embracing the cool touch of the stone, while she massaged her temple. A headache was forming and she was desperate for some time to sort her thoughts in peace.

“Sothis, you are the first and only friend I have outside of my father. I could never regret our fates being intertwined. Please, don’t blame yourself for any of this. I know you would have never purposely caused this.”

“Thank you,” she heard Sothis respond before she felt the familiar feeling of the girl’s absence. She stood to go to her desk, grabbing a piece of parchment and pen from her drawer, and spent the afternoon writing down everything her father said and every conversation she remembered of having with Rhea.


	18. A Familiar Place

The class was surprised when Byleth announced the upcoming mission. She explained that the Knights were narrowing their search for bandits that caused the Church strife and that the Blue Lions were expected to eradicate them. Slowly, she watched the students as they began to understand the true nature of their mission. Even Felix, who was typically eager for a chance to test his skills, was subdued by the thought.

“These bandits, are they the same ones that attacked the others and me?” Dimitri asked, nervously tapping his foot.

“They are. According to Seteth, they have been searching for them since the attack. The mock battle was the deciding factor in which house would be assigned the mission; however, we will be taking a student from a different house for additional assistance.”

“Do we know which student?” Ingrid asked.

“Yes, Claude.” 

The students were taken aback by the news. Some whispered surprise to their desk mate. They knew it was a possibility for students from other houses to help with missions and, in rare circumstances, be transfer into a different class, but didn’t fathom it applied to a house leader as well.

“Does that mean his highness will have to do the Golden Deer’s mission this month?” Ashe asked.

“No, Dimitri will stay with us. Claude is only joining us because of a request from Duke Riegan. I don’t believe this is a typical situation.”

As Byleth walked with Mercedes to her training after dismissing the class, she heard Edelgard call behind her. She turned as the woman quickly approached the archway where they were standing. 

“Excuse me, professor, may I have a word with you?”

Byleth nodded and motioned for Mercedes to meet her at the training ground. Edelgard led her to a quiet nook in the courtyard. 

“Is it true that you are seeking out the bandits that attacked us?” Edelgard asked in a hushed voice.

“Yes, it is our mission for the month.”

“And Claude will be going as well?”

“At the request of the Duke, yes.”

“Curious, it’s my understanding that house leaders are to remain with their own class throughout the year.”

“Seteth implied the same, but considering the circumstances, they were willing to make an exception.” Byleth tilted her head, contemplating why Edelgard would go out of her way to ask. “Would you also like to be considered for the mission? I can see if Seteth would approve.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I trust the Church will take care of the matter. Thank you for offering though.”

Strange, Byleth thought as she watched Edelgard walk away and join Hubert.

  


* * *

* * *

  


The mission arrived sooner than expected. On Thursday morning, a messenger arrived outside Byleth’s room urging her to quickly gather her students and meet Seteth at the gate.

She knocked on the door of the room next to hers. Almost immediately, the door opened, revealing the stern face of Dedue. Together, they set off to alert the other members of the Blue Lions and Claude.

Only an hour passed before they were waiting for further details at the gate. A soft mist hovered in the air that chilled them to the bone. Anticipation hung heavily as their thoughts lingered on what was to come.

Seteth had Alois gather horses for the mission as he explained that the bandits were spotted in the Red Canyon. The journey was not far on horseback and the mission should take less than a day. He instructed everyone to mount a horse and stay near the center of the knights until they get to the bandits’ location. They rode in silence, through the forested trails of central Fodlan. The destination approached faster than desired as most were still trying to come to terms with the possibility of taking a life.

A knight approached Byleth as she dismounted. He explained the knights were to wait nearby while the students handled the situation. If any issue was to arise they would join, but it was heavily implied that Rhea wanted little interference on the students’ mission.

Byleth led the students to a bridge that separated them from the canyon. The gray, desolate rocks provided no opening to see the bandits as she gazed beyond the bridge. She was resolved to cross first in case the bandits planned a trap.

“Not very red for being called the Red Canyon, huh?” Claude quipped as the students waited for the professor to signal them forward.

“Now is not the time for jokes,” Dimitri said. A glance at the Blue Lions’ faces showed they agreed with the sentiment.

“Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood. The Golden Deer are rarely this serious.”

The sound of metal on metal jolted their eyes towards Byleth. Two armed bandits on the other side of the bridge were currently engaged in combat with the professor. Dimitri and Felix rushed to her aide while Claude drew an arrow from his quiver and took aim. One well-placed shot brought down a bandit and allowed for Byleth to easily take down the other.

Claude bent, resting his hands on his knees as he quickly breathed.

“Are you alright?” Annette asked.

“Yeah, it all just happened so fast. This is what you have to expect when dealing with thieves I guess.” He stretched up and flashed her with his easygoing smile as he passed to meet the professor.

“Professor, there is a path to the west and one to the north. Perhaps we should split up? We can attack from both sides and eliminate their option for an exit,” Dimitri said.

“I agree. Dimitri, take Felix, Dedue, Ashe, and Mercedes with you and go west. Everyone else, stay with me.”

Near the entrance of another bridge waited three more bandits. Byleth instructed Sylvain and Ingrid to attack the swordsman while Annette and Claude target the bow wielder. She stayed further back, ready to jump into combat if the need arised. When Sylvain and Ingrid charged, the bowman started to retreat, the crackling of Annette’s cutting gale spell caught him off guard. A few swiftly shot arrows finished him. 

Byleth shouted out suggestions to Ingrid and Sylvain while they fought the other bandits. She stopped Annette and Claude from intervening, the goal of the mission was to allow each student experience. In the distance, she could hear the clattering of weapons from Dimitri’s group as they proceeded west.

A few well-timed jabs of lances brought down the remaining bandits. Ingrid looked to her friend, ready to proceed on until she noticed his sullen face. She went to him, picking up his lance that he dropped.

“Are you alright?” she asked as she handed him the weapon.

He looked at the steel lance in his hand and shifted anxiously. “I-I had to do it.”

“This is no place to rest. We have to continue,” she said and held her hand out to him. 

Sylvain took it and steadied himself before continuing across the bridge with the rest of the class. He heard Annette cheer as her wind spell downed another bandit and shook. Was becoming pawns to kill nameless people their destiny, he thought to himself while he watched Ingrid rush off to fight another bandit.

Finally they approached a group of bandits who surrounded the man that must be their leader. They saw Dimitri’s group approach from the other direction as well. Byleth instructed her group to focus on the three bandits nearest and that she would distract the archer for Annette and Claude to attack.

She dashed off, cutting down the distance between her and the archer as she dodged his arrows. Once near, she easily blocked his attempts of attacks with a sword that she could tell he wasn’t used to wielding. A few moments passed and she realized only Annette was attacking. She glanced to where she left Claude, but he had disappeared.

A quick strike from her sword and he was down. She eyed the field to find where Claude had gone. Dimitri and Dedue were in the midst of fighting an archer, Felix was dueling another swordsman, and Mercedes and Ashe were working together against a mage. Her own group was preoccupied with two fighters.

It wasn’t until she glanced towards the leader of the bandits, the one she fought the month prior, that she saw Claude. He looked to be confronting him while steadily aiming an arrow at him. Suddenly an arrow pierced the man’s throat and he crumpled to the ground. Claude eyed around him suspiciously and noticed Byleth watching him. A smile quickly replaced his frown.

“What was that about?” she asked cautiously as he approached.

“I had a few questions I wanted to ask him.”

“And?”

“We’ll talk about it later. I didn’t get much out of him before he was killed.” The frown returned to his face momentarily. “That wasn’t my arrow, though.”

The battle died out around them and Dimitri approached the pair. “The bandits have all been defeated. The Knights will look for any stragglers, but our work here is done. You led us well professor.”

Byleth followed the students out of the canyon. She looked around at the tall boulders, ruin like in their placement. A feeling of familiarity washed over her. I remember this being a peaceful place, she thought as she walked on.

“I wonder why you recall this place. I feel the familiarity too. This is your first time being here, correct?” Sothis asked.

“Yes. Have you been here before?”

“Here? I daresay it would be impossible to have forgotten such as place as this. Though I have to admit I do feel drawn to here somehow. As if a great deal of emotions is tied to here: love, pain, and everything in between…”

“Professor?” Dimitri called when they got to the horses. “It’s time to head back to the monastery.”


	19. The Mercenary

The following class was somber. Byleth tried to carry on as usual but knew her students’ minds dwelled on the mission, on the deaths caused by their hands. It was futile for her to proceed. She wanted to reach out and help the students overcome this, but didn’t know where to start. Guilt over combat was something she left far in the past if she ever had it at all.

“Professor, I think it would help put us at ease if you were to tell us what it was like the first time you...” Annette’s voice trailed away sheepishly and eyes were cast down to her desk.

“I was about 10 when I first took a life.”

“10, that’s awfully young,” Ingrid said, concern painted on her face.

“My father thought having me near would protect me; that meant learning combat at a young age. When I was younger, I would stay towards the back and avoid any direct combat. Once, during this time, a nearby recruit was fighting with a bandit. He battled with determination, but the bandit had more strength. I could tell he was losing and was without help so a crept towards them to attack the bandit from behind. I readied myself but hesitated for a moment. Those few seconds were all it took for the bandit to cleave through the recruit with his ax. I cut him down with my sword before he could do the same to me. If I had not hesitated though, that mercenary would have lived. I swore that day I would do whatever I could to protect my allies in his honor. He was no older than anyone here. I have to live with that regret still.”

Byleth eyes gazed far off, unable to bury the memory of that day quickly. The students watched her in a mix of awe and sadness. Dimitri was taken back to the conversation he had with the professor on the way to Garreg Mach. He was a fool, he thought. He took her words of not showing mercy to a known enemy as blood lust, a complete unwillingness to find a peaceful solution. Now he knew they were words from a hard lesson learned. 

He heard a crack and looked for the noise before realizing it was the quill in his hand.

“Are you alright, Dimitri?” Byleth asked, rising from her perch on her desk.

“Yes, sorry,” he mumbled out quickly, attempting to conceal his embarrassment. A quill this time, a lance next, when would he learn to control the strength that pulsates through him due to his crest?

Byleth looked him hard in the eye as he shifted uncomfortably before she panned to the other students. 

“Class is dismissed. I know it’s early, but I want you to use the rest of the day and weekend to take time for yourselves. I’ll be available if there’s anything you need.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


A knock at the door of the Blue Lions classroom stirred Byleth from her thoughts. She looked up to find Claude leaning against the doorway with crossed arms. He came in, sat at a nearby table, and kicked his feet up onto a chair.

“No Hilda or Linhardt today?” she asked.

“This is better off the records, at least until I get a better understanding of what happened.”

“What did happen, Claude?” She looked at him with curiosity. An arrow in the throat and an archer before him; it wouldn’t be a leap to assume who killed the bandit. She had no reason to think he was lying about it not being his arrow though. The point of the mission was to eliminate the bandit, after all.

“Like I said, I approached him with some questions about the night he attacked us in Remire. Didn’t get to ask him a lot, but there was one thing that caught my interest. He said the guy who hired him wore a red and white mask and called himself the flame emperor. Said he paid pretty well too.”

“Did he say what this flame emperor wanted him to do?”

“Unfortunately right when he was getting to it he got hit by that arrow.” Claude closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his forefinger. “It couldn’t have been a stray arrow from Ashe or Mercedes and I know it wasn’t mine.”

“That doesn’t leave anybody else though.”

“Not anybody that we’re aware of at least, but it had to come from somewhere. Who all knew about the mission?”

“I would think most everyone at Garreg Mach. Rhea, Seteth, and the Knights who were with us at the very least. Edelgard also asked me about it, so I imagine it is safe to assume all the students were aware as well.”

“Not all students. The Golden Deer weren’t until I got back and had to explain my absence.”

“Do you think someone here was involved?” Byleth bent closer and asked in a hushed voice.

“I can’t rule it out.” Claude leaned back with a sigh. “At the very least, it’s too much of a coincidence that he died right when I was talking to him. Someone was there making sure he didn’t reveal too much, but who knows if we’ll ever find out who that someone is. For now, our focus should be on finding out whatever we can about this Flame Emperor.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


“Are you alright, your highness?” Dedue asked, his usually stern voice softened in concern.

Dimitri jumped slightly at the interruption before nodding. 

“I’m sorry if I worry you, Dedue. I suppose I am just not in the right mood for conversation. It’s probably best if I call it an early night,” Dimitri said while he rose to stand.

Dedue began to rise before Dimitri stopped him.

“I’m quite alright on my own. Please, stay here and enjoy your dinner.” Dimitri gestured to the nearly full plate of food that sat in front of his friend.

“If you insist.” Defeated, Dedue sat back down in his seat and watched the prince leave.

Dimitri exited the dining hall. He was unaware of where his feet were taking him while his mind wandered. The revelation from class was all he could think about. Since meeting the professor, he thought of her as a cold and uncaring person, someone who he wanted to keep at a distance. 

He thought of his friends: Felix, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Dedue. If anyone of them were killed due to his inaction, would he behave any differently? Yes, he thought as the voices that eternally followed him crept into his mind. He would not be as forgiving.

“You speak of mercy, but what mercy was shown to me?” the ghost of Glenn spat at him. “I died protecting you from monsters, do you think they deserve mercy?”

Dimitri felt himself shiver in a cold sweat at the sound of his father’s voice. “You spend your time worrying about the lives of bandits when you should be seeking revenge for me. You are no son of mine.”

The sound of footsteps brought his attention back to his surroundings. He looked up to see Claude coming towards him, who offered a quick nod before passing. Dimitri glanced around and found he was in the courtyard in front of the classrooms. 

He slowed his pace to a stop and peered into the Blue Lions classroom. Professor Byleth was still there. Her face expressionless while she read the tome on her desk. She began to feel for a quill that wasn’t there. A few seconds passed as her hand grazed over the nooks of her desk before she sighed and furrowed her brow. A finger that was previously twirling in her hair, marked her place in the book as she looked up.

Instantly, her face returned to its blank expression when she noticed the prince near the doorway. “Hello Dimitri, do you need anything?”

“Oh, I’m sorry professor, I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just walking past and was surprised to see you still here.” He offered a small smile as he felt the heat of embarrassment on his face. “Err, your quill is on the ground in front of your desk.”

The sound of her calling out her thanks followed him as he quickly left the courtyard. Perhaps it was time to turn a new leaf, he thought as he continued toward the dorms.


	20. A Distraction

The month passed quickly at Garreg Mach. Claude dedicated his attention to chasing clues about the mysterious Flame Emperor. Each time he reported back to Byleth nowhere closer than where he started. While Byleth’s focus was on the Blue Lions. The trauma of the mission eased with time and by the end of the Harpstring Moon, they were seemingly back to their normal selves.

Seteth sent a message to Byleth asking her to meet with him on the first Saturday of the new month. Another mission, Byleth though forlornly the morning of the meeting. She attempted to remain hopeful that the mission would be simpler this month, not wanting to disrupt the newfound steady rhythm of her classes.

She thought of the other houses and their missions for the previous month as she slowly made her way to Seteth’s office. The Church sent the Black Eagle’s to help oversee diplomatic talks at a nearby Adrestian territory and the Golden Deer hunted down an animal that was terrorizing the livestock of the town on the edge of Garreg Mach. Sothis explained that Byleth’s feelings were akin to envy. It didn’t seem fair to her students, regardless.

She reached the wooden door of Seteth’s office and knocked. A faint, indifferent noise sounded from the other side that Byleth took as permission to enter. Gently, she pushed the door open, revealing the neat office. Seteth sat behind his desk and looked up as Byleth entered.

“Ah, professor, do you know why I asked you here?” Seteth asked as he shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk.

“It’s the start of a new month, I assume you have a new mission for my class.”

“Not exactly.” Seteth pulled a document from his papers to the top of the pile and skimmed it. “There’s been troubling rumors about the Western Church rallying support and troops from the local nobles. I want you to keep an ear open for any information pertaining to this matter. The Western Church is within Faerghus so your students may have further insight, particularly Ashe.”

“Why Ashe?”

“This is a delicate matter, but our understanding is that his adoptive father, Lord Lonato, is closely affiliated with that branch of the Church. To be forthcoming, if there’s more to the rumors, the situation will require our intervention.” Seteth sighed and locked his fingers together as he leaned closer to Byleth. “Rhea has asked if it comes to that, for your class to provide support to the Knights of Seiros. Please, be discreet with this information. Report back to me if you hear anything. Until then, you are dismissed.”

Byleth departed the office and made her way out of the building. Her step hastened as she went over the meeting in her head. If what Seteth said about Lonato was true, she couldn’t bear the thought of its effect on Ashe.

She walked the grounds of the monastery, looking for a distraction, and came upon Dedue. He was near the gate, watching the women from the various houses pluck white roses from a field that pressed against the walls of Garreg Mach. 

“What are they doing?” Byleth asked when she reached him.

“They are gathering flowers to weave into garlands. It is a common tradition in Fodlan. I am surprised you are unfamiliar with it.” Dedue looked down towards the professor. It was a rarity to find someone more inexperienced with the customs of Fodlan than he was, especially when she spent her life within its borders.

“My father was never one for traditions. What do they do with them?”

“Typically, they would give them to someone they love or a friend if they are not romantically attached to someone.”

Byleth and Dedue stood together and watched. The sound of giggling came from Mercedes and Annette as they started weaving their crowns. Further off, Hilda was guiding Marianne’s hands to show her unique patterns to make. All while the soft sound of Dorothea’s song hung to the air, enchanting the moment. 

Byleth was the first to break the spell of the scene. “Will you show me how?”

“How?” Dedue asked.

“How to make a crown. You seem talented with plants, and it’s long overdue that I become accustomed to the ways of Fodlan.”

“It would be against your better judgment to be seen spending time with a man from Duscur. I am sure another student would be willing to teach you.”

“I care little of the opinions of others.”

“Professor, I’m sure you are aware of the crimes committed by the people of Duscur during the Tragedy. Faerghus shuns us to this day. You do not want to spend any more time than necessary around me.”

“Dimitri doesn’t shun you.”

“No, but he is the exception.” Dedue exhaled a low sigh. “However, if you insist, I will teach you." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "it pleases me to be able to speak with you like this.”

The pair meandered through the field, picking a handful of roses each, then joined Mercedes and Annette who happily welcomed them to their group. Byleth was slow to learn the proper way to weave the stems, but Dedue was a patient teacher. She turned her finished garland in her hand, inspecting it from every angle. It wasn’t as polished as some, but the delicate stems held together well. She let out a soft sigh of relief, pleased with her work.

“To our friendship,” Byleth said as she placed the garland on top of Dedue’s head.

“To our friendship,” Dedue repeated with a smile. 

The group chatted peacefully in the field. Annette and Mercede’s teased each other about who they would give their garlands to before exchanging them with each other. The air grew crisp as the sun began to set and sent them each on their own way.

Dedue started for the Knight’s Hall. He wasn’t surprised to find Dimitri near the hearth when he entered.

“Where did you get that, Dedue?” Dimitri asked as he pointed to the garland atop Dedue’s head.

“The professor gave it to me."

Dimitri cocked his eyebrows. The way Dedue spoke, it was as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Well, she’s full of surprises. I don’t think Sylvain will appreciate your competition though.”

Dedue gave another slight smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let anyone who follows the story know that I may not be able to post next week. Instead, I'm going to set aside some time to edit my previous chapters again for any grammar mistakes. I hope you are enjoying it so far.


	21. Encounter in the Library

Another late night, or was it early morning? Dimitri found it difficult to keep track. Sleeping through the night was so infrequent that he didn’t bother to pay attention to the time when he did wake, he just knew that it was hopeless to try to sleep again.

It was hard to say if anyone outside of Dedue noticed his odd hours. The academy seemed to put more distance between him and his friends, despite the proximity. Each one was so focused on their own goals, it left little time for anything else. Then again, he doubted Felix’s willingness for anything that could resemble camaraderie with him.

Since the death of his brother, Glenn, Felix focused on nothing but his training. Snide comments became plentiful from the once affectionate boy. They’ve all changed since the Tragedy happened though, thought Dimitri. He looked out his window at the silent, dark monastery and sighed. It was worse with Felix. 

Dimitri felt the familiar pang of loneliness as his fingers numbly fumbled with his boots. Quietly, he opened the door to the hallway, not wanting to alert anyone to his presence. Each step he took echoed in the stone hallway. He cringed and cursed himself for never learning to be light on his feet.

As delicately as he could, he opened the entrance door to the dormitory and closed it behind. His eyes darted around for any sign of movement. When he knew he was alone, he walked towards the dining hall, careful to avoid passing in front of Dedue’s room. The lack of sleep did prove beneficial for allowing him time away from questioning eyes.

He made it to the library without passing anyone. The hour must have been early if the servants were still asleep. A flickering candle at a table near the doorway alerted him to the presence of another. Carefully, he approached the table, his eyes adjusting to the light, and found the sleeping silhouette of Linhardt. The sight was almost comforting to Dimitri; he thought of the man as a silent companion in his quest for answers.

He made his way to his own familiar table and lit the candles that were placed on either end. He grabbed the brass holder of one and set off to collect any books that may prove helpful. For the last month, he spent his free moments analyzing the history of the western nobles of Faerghus that reigned during the Tragedy.

It was tedious work, pouring hours into the stacks of books with hardly any tangible clues of where to look next. It would be beneficial knowledge as a king, but he cared little for that now. At a loss of where to look next, Dimitri sighed and racked his brain for any detail he may have overlooked.

He was aware of the rumors that plagued his uncle, Rufus, about him being involved in the assassination as a ploy to ascend the throne. Dimitri knew there was little use in investigating them. When his father, Lambert, was king, Rufus enjoyed his prestige with no responsibilities. His title of Grand Duke guaranteed a life of luxury, filled with chasing anyone and anything his heart desired. Now, Rufus’ focus was dominated by the needs of the Kingdom, needs he considered below his own. If there was anyone as upset as Dimitri about the Tragedy, it was his uncle, for different reasons of course.

No, unless Rufus wronged someone who thought it best to kill the king as punishment, there was no use in looking there. His crimes were solely in being a worthless leader and uncompassionate uncle, not a murderer.

Dimitri’s confidence in his investigation wavered as he pulled books about Sreng, a country to the northeast of Faerghus. He remembered stories of his father, leading knights on a campaign to conquer the region. People have sought revenge for less, he thought as he sat at his table, quill in hand.

The creak of the library’s door alerted him to another presence. His eyes darted up from a book only to realize the room was now draped in early sunlight. Vaguely, he wondered how long he had been there before looking for the source of the noise.

Professor Byleth hovered over the still sleeping Linhardt. She picked up a book from his stack and thumbed through the first few pages before setting it back down. An audible sigh escaped her lips as she turned her attention to the rest of the library.

Dimitri did his best to offer a small smile when she noticed him. He stood and began to stack the books strewed across the table, tucking them under his arm when done. He climbed the stairs to the section for vassal states of Fodlan, not keen on anyone knowing his purpose in the library.

A quiet cough startled him while he put the books about Sreng away. He glanced towards the sound and saw the professor standing near. He silently cursed her ability to walk without a sound.

“Would you like any help?” she asked.

“No,” he blurted quickly. He grimaced, sure his response would cause suspicion, and tried again. “Please, do not trouble yourself. I am nearly done.” He tried to give a reassuring smile.

Dimitri continued to put away the diminishing stack of books, uncomfortably aware of the professor’s watchful eye. Once the last book was in its place, he turned towards where he left her. “Is there something you need?”

“Actually, I had a few questions relating to the Kingdom. If you’d be obliged.”

His eye narrowed as he wondered whether the professor knew the nature of his research. He searched her face for answers, but it remained devoid of any insight. He internally sighed, accepting his fate. 

“Sadly, Seteth may be more knowledgeable about the kingdom than I am, but I will answer what I can.” Another awkward smile graced his lips.

“Actually, it was Seteth who wanted me to ask about this.”

Dimitri raised his eyebrows. Seteth was notorious for knowing everything involving the Church and that in turn extended to lands surrounding Garreg Mach. “Ah, then I am doubly afraid you’ll be disappointed. What was he inquiring about?”

“Rumors plague him about the Western Church gathering soldiers from near lands. I do not know what he suspects will happen, but he wants to verify the credibility of the rumors. I was hoping you may know if they are true or not.”

“I have heard of a certain amount of unrest in that area of Faerghus, but that’s not uncommon in any region since the Tragedy.” Dimitri paused before continuing, “It’s my understanding that Ashe is originally from around there, perhaps he could offer you more?”

Byleth leaned against a bookcase, her eyes downcast. When she looked up at Dimitri, her face had returned to its familiar blank expression. “Seteth suggested I do the same, in fact, he singled out Lord Lonato as being close to the Western Church. He discouraged me from mentioning this, but, if the rumors are true, the Central Church will have to intervene. I suppose I want to involve Ashe as little as possible. That’s why I came to you first.”

“I see.” Dimitri slumped against a table, realizing the depth of the situation. “Let me look into the matter for you. There are a few nobles I can write to who may know what is happening.”

“Thank you, Dimitri.” Byleth bowed and turned to the door. She walked a few steps before looking back at him. “I appreciate you helping me.”

Once he was sure she was gone, Dimitri hastened to his table. He pulled a clean sheet of parchment from his stack of papers and set off writing.

_Lord Fraldarius,_

_I hope this letter finds you well._   
_Garreg Mach is fine, and I doubt much has changed since you were at the academy with my father. However, you would be pleased with how studious your son is. I believe Professor Byleth has even earned his respect, a rarity in this day and age._   
_There have been rumors surrounding Faerghus here. I’ve heard whispers that the Western Church is gathering a small army and Lord Lonato may be involved. Do you have any knowledge of this? I fear Rufus will not intervene if it is true._

_Best Regards,  
Prince Dimitri_

Dimitri sealed his letter and gathered his notes. The sun was bright by the time he left the library. He hurried to find a courier.


	22. Plan B

“Should I be insulted you didn’t come to me for help?” Claude asked after sneaking into her classroom that evening. He sat at his usual table in the front by Byleth’s desk, inspecting his fingernails for dirt.

“Come to you for what?” Byleth raised her head from the tests that needed grading. She needed the break anyway; the ink hadn’t been drying as fast since the humidity returned to the air. She looked at her hand and tried rubbing away the black ink spot that started forming on its side.

“About finding out what’s happening with the Western Church. It’s the perfect job for the secret club.”

She shouldn’t be surprised that he knew. He had a way of keeping tabs on everything happening on the grounds. Still, she indulged him and asked, “How do you know about that?”

A devious smile lit his face at the question. “Linhardt told me. It’s not safe to assume someone is sleeping. He’s been going to the library to see what Dimitri has been up to. He’d go anyway, but I like to think this gives him a better sense of purpose.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, well, sometimes he actually is asleep.” Claude’s hand massaged the nape of his neck, a gesture Byleth grew fond of. He’d always do it when admitting something he didn’t want to, but she doubted he realized it. “It’s about fifty-fifty what he comes back with on any given night. Anyway, about the Western Church.”

“What about it?” Byleth raised her eyebrow and rested her head on her hands, hoping to play the part of conspiring friend well.

“I have a plan to get information out of Ashe without his even knowing.” Claude held a finger up to Byleth. “Wait, you’ll see. I can’t divulge all my tactics yet. Just say the word though and the information is as good as yours.”

Byleth nodded, more out of curiosity of what Claude had planned than anything else. “Just don’t let him find out what it’s about. I don’t want him worrying over what’s hopefully nothing.”

“No worries, no worries.” Claude stood and stretched in place for a moment. He headed towards the door and turned to wink at Byleth before leaving.

She sighed and shuffled through the pages on her desk. The barely legible writing stared back at her while she scanned for where she left off. The battle against the ink would go down in history as her greatest challenge, she thought after finishing the rest of the tests.

“You’ve gotten to be dramatic,” Sothis laughed. “A far cry of the girl I met only a few months ago.”

“Just a little more at ease,” she retorted and stood from her desk. A growl from her stomach told her where to go next.

The dining hall bustled with the noise of students and knights alike. The smell of baked goods and fried foods filled the air, causing Byleth’s stomach to get louder. She scanned the tables looking for her father; she saved Sunday to dine with him. 

Pink pigtails bounced side to side, distracting Byleth from her mission. A closer look showed Hilda cornering Ashe, whose face was the same shade as her hair. The freckled man sheepishly rubbed his arm as she talked, setting his eyes on the floor beneath him instead of on her. Byleth stepped a little closer to listen.

“Well,” Hilda’s voice emphasized, Byleth could practically hear the flutter of her eyebrows. “I’ve just always been super interested in the area you grew up in. Ga-Gasp,”

“Gaspard,” Ashe finished for her.

“Yeah, Gaspard! I was hoping you could tell me more about it.” Ashe’s face reddened as Hilda touched his arm. “Like, what’s the church there like? Are they as pious and good as they are here?”

“Well, I s-suppose,” Ashe stuttered out.

Byleth gave up on listening and wandered back to the food. She ordered the special, grilled herring caught fresh that morning. Another scan of the tables and she found Jeralt sitting at their table.

“What was that about?” Jeralt asked and nodded to Ashe and Hilda.

“Another one of Claude’s schemes,” Byleth said as she sat down. The enticing smell of herring put out any thought of the missions. The first bite elicited a content moan from her.

“I guess I should know better than asking you anything when you’re eating,” he smiled while watching her take another bite.

She spoke again after her plate was cleared. “She’s trying to find out about the Western Church. Seteth tasked me with the job, but I’d prefer Ashe not knowing more than he needs to.”

Jeralt frowned at the news. “I heard about the rumors. They’re not planning on sending your class to go there, right? Not even Rhea could be so thoughtless.”

“If they end up being true, that’s what they want. They didn’t really give me the option to say no. I’m just hoping the rumors end up being baseless.” Byleth shrugged. She looked over her shoulder to see Ashe moving further and further away from Hilda.

“A branch of the Church going against Rhea. I never thought I’d see the day,” Jeralt muttered under his breath. He reached into his pocket to take a swig out of the flask he always carried.

“Surely there’s been issues before.”

“There’s been disagreements, yeah, but to actually plan an attack against the Central Church? Nothing I’ve ever heard happening before.” He set the flask down and grimaced. “Enough talk about this though. How has your week been?”

  


* * *

* * *

  


The bells sounded in the distance. Dedue and Byleth both breathed heavily, tired from the training of that evening. Dedue had recently taken to practicing with gauntlets as frequently as he did axes, making him a formidable sparring partner.

“You should be proud of the progress you’re making. Most men of your size find it difficult to be agile enough with gauntlets.” Byleth said after returning the training weapons to their cabinets.

“They’re a traditional weapon in Duscur. There was a time it was considered a rite of passage for all men to learn to wield them.” He explained in his low, leveled voice.

“Most of Fodlan cast them aside for swords or lances. I’m happy that there are people who respect them. Mercenaries trained in gauntlets are highly sought.”

“I am happy to be able to use them in protecting his highness,” Dedue said. His motivation to shield Dimitri from any harm was always at the forefront of his mind.

“He’s lucky to have you as a friend,” Byleth said.

“No, it is I who am the lucky one. Without his highness I would not be here, that is a debt I do not take lightly. Have a good night, professor.” Dedue bowed and exited the training grounds.

Byleth wiped the sweat off her brow with a towel she stole from the sauna. She sat on the ground and stretched her legs. The sparring had left her sore. Dedue’s gauntlets grazed her calf during it, and she knew the skin would turn purple by the morning. He apologized profusely, but she didn’t mind. It made her bolster a little in pride seeing all her students’ progress. Odd to think it hadn’t been that long ago since she didn’t know how pride felt.

Her eyes snapped up at the sound of a cough. Claude leaned against a wooden column that held the ceiling. His ability to know when she was on her own always astounded her. She climbed to her feet and let out a soft groan when she put weight on her leg.

“There's a lot of boys in the academy who’d kill just to see you stretch,” he said with a sly wink before following her out of the training grounds. Only the sound of their feet clicking on the stone path to the dorms filled the air.

“Sylvain has enough women to chase without worrying about my stretching.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I’ve seen Jeritza watch you train from behind the columns,” Claude gestured back to the pavilion that housed the training grounds. “It’s almost a little creepy. I’d be worried if I didn’t know you could handle almost anyone in a fight. Well, that and Jeralt puts the fear of the Goddess in anyone who talks to you.”

“He what?” Byleth asked with a raised eyebrow.

“To make a long story short, almost everyone has had a conversation with him that ended with “my daughter’s wellbeing is important to me” and a glare. Last I heard, he’s been going into more detail about how he’d protect your wellbeing with Sylvain. Granted, he’d have to get in line behind Seteth for that one.” Claude laughed. They’d all seen Seteth loom in the shadows with fury in his eyes whenever Sylvain talked to his sister, Flayn.

“I’m sure he doesn’t mean any harm by it,” Byleth said, but the memory of previously friendly townsfolk turning distant made her doubt her own words.

“Sure he doesn’t. Anyway, I thought I’d let you know how mission “get Ashe to talk” went.” His hand went to the familiar place behind his neck.

“Yes,” Byleth said politely, knowing it wasn’t a success.

“Well, Hilda was able to get him to open up a little, but the whole time he compared Lord Lonato to the selfless knights in the books he reads. He didn’t know anything about the Western Church outside the usual Church doings.”

“I appreciate the help, regardless.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Hilda didn’t mind doing it. Ashe promised to cover her chores this weekend if she let him go back to the Blue Lions’ table.” He smiled. Byleth knew Hilda’s ability to wrap men around her finger entertained Claude to no end. “It was worth a try, I guess. Hopefully, you’re able to get your answers from Dimitri.”

They were near the door of her room. Their voices became more hushed the closer they approached. She waved to Claude as she entered the room. Her thoughts on Dimitri and the chilly demeanor he had treated her with since their initial meeting. He had only just warmed to her when she asked him to look into the Western Church. She didn’t want to burden him with it, but she couldn’t think of anyone to ask. Yes, hopefully he has answers and hopefully it’s the rumors were false.


	23. Into the Mist

Dimitri grimaced as he reread the contents of the letter. A courier delivered it during supper at the dining hall. He knew that the quickness in which Rodrigue replied could not be good.

_Your Highness,_

_It is good to hear from you. Your letter is the first I have gotten, but I doubt it surprises you that Felix doesn’t write. I’d like to meet this professor. Anyone that can get on Felix’s good side must be special. I hope you are enjoying your time at the academy; I know I did._   
_Unfortunately, the rumors are true. Pegasus knights came to Faerghus with news of Lonato joining his men with the Western Church. There has been no official word on why, but the unrest against the Central Church is not a secret in that land. Rufus refuses to intervene, saying it’s a church matter. I wish I could be of more help, but without Rufus’ approval, the rest of the nobles can only watch._

_Best Regards,  
Rodrigue_

“What’s wrong?” Ingrid asked.

“Bad news,” Dimitri mumbled. He looked up and saw concern in his friend’s face. Shame ate at him. He should have been more discreet with his response. This was no matter to trouble the other students with, at least not right now. “It’s more or less a letter for the professor. Do not worry, I just need to find her.” 

If he was charming like Sylvain, he may have been able to smooth the creases in her forehead, but it would have to do. The professor mentioned discretion, and he wouldn’t betray her trust in this matter. 

Abruptly, he stood and headed through the doors that would take him to the classrooms. The professor typically stayed late into the evening at her desk in the Blue Lions' room, and he felt sure she would be there tonight, but no light illuminated the room when he arrived. A low “hmph” left him as he attempted to think of where she could be.

A boisterous voice carried in the courtyard's air. The seminar, Dimitri thought, remembering that it was tonight. The schedule had Alois slated to give a lecture on the proper use of an ax. He remembered the professor encouraging the students to go, but only Dedue and Sylvain attended. The latter merely for the promise of her being there as well. He found the professor near the back of the Golden Deer’s room, sharing a table with the enamored redhead.

As inconspicuously as he could, he crept behind her and asked for her to join him outside. She nodded and ducked out of the room with him, Sylvain’s glare following them out. He retrieved the letter, tucked safely in a pocket of his tunic, and held it out for her to take. Her eyes traced over its contents quickly before she returned it.

“I can’t say I’m surprised by this, but it is disappointing. Seteth will want to know immediately. Thank you, Dimitri.” She bowed and hurried away.

  


* * *

* * *

  


The knock echoed through the empty corridor. A muffled “enter” sounded from the other side before Byleth opened the door. Seteth looked over the tower of documents on his desk and gestured for her to sit.

“What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting to?” Seteth asked as he went back to transcribing donation amounts from nobles to the various chapels across Fodlan.

“The rumors you asked me to look into are true,” Byleth said evenly.

Seteth’s eyebrows raised at the news. He pinched the bridge of his nose, as he contemplated the news, then jotted a brief message. “Cyril,” he yelled loud enough for the name to reverberate down the hall. A boy, no older than fifteen, entered the office quickly at the call. He had a mop of black hair and deeply tanned skin, a rarity in the country of Fodlan.

“You called sir?” He stood tall and proud, eager to be of service to the official.

“Find Catherine and give her this note,” Seteth responded. The boy took the note and jogged out of the office. Seteth went back to his writing, ignoring Byleth’s presence.

“All that you’ve done for the Church and he still treats you so rudely,” Sothis whispered. “If I was you, I’d tell him off. Maybe give him a quick kick to his shin, then he’d know you wouldn’t stand for his behavior.” Byleth tried to silence the girl with a quick shhh, but she continued. “You just know he’s going to force you, along with sweet, poor Ashe, to be involved with whatever the Church has planned. He doesn’t deserve your politeness.” A tall, blonde woman entered the room, relieving Byleth from having to listen to Sothis’ lecture. 

“Catherine, we’ve received news. You’ll be expected to leave tonight to deal with the Western Church. Byleth and her students will join you tomorrow to help deal with any loose ends.” As quickly as the blonde entered, she left. Seteth turned his attention back to Byleth. “Prepare your students to leave tomorrow. Catherine and her knights should have everything handled by the time you get there, but nevertheless, Rhea will want you to accompany as well.” He gestured to his door for her to leave.

  


* * *

* * *

  


Their journey to join Catherine took most of the day, arriving only as the sun began to set. The students remained silent and agitated as they rode horseback, but Byleth had the constant stream of Sothis’ words to accompany. The girl had become increasingly critical of the Church’s actions regarding the students. She claimed the horrors of battle were something that should be avoided, instead of sought out for people who barely had any claim to adulthood. Byleth could only nod along. She agreed, but what could she do but follow orders?

A mist began to form, first drifting low on the ground and then encompassing them whole, barely allowing them to make out the silhouettes of the others around them. They heard the clang of weapons in battle, growing louder and louder each minute.

A visible red light glowed in the distance, becoming brighter as it approached. Byleth dismounted and readied herself for a possible attack. The students followed her lead and scattered off their horses, forming a loose triangle behind her.

A voice called out, “easy there,” before Catherine’s face emerged from the mist. “There’s been a change in plans. Their numbers exceed our expectations and thanks to this damn fog, we can’t make easy work out of this. I hope you and your students are ready for a fight.” She sprinted back into the mist before Byleth could say anything.

She turned to face the students. “I won’t be able to guide you if you’re too far away. Stay close together,” she said before dismissing them all, but Ashe. “You don’t need to be involved if you don’t want to. No one will fault you if you stay behind.”

“No, I need to talk to Lonato. I need to know why he is doing this,” Ashe said with fierce determination.

Byleth nodded, “Stay close to me, I’ll see to it that we get there first.”

She ran to where the rest of the students were grouped together. Felix had already abandoned them, Byleth was certain he was eager to find a fight. She didn’t see Sylvain either, who most likely followed Felix out of loyalty. Or, maybe he feared for the other’s safety? She would have to have a discussion with them about following orders on the field, but that was a worry for another time.

Dedue stood out front of the group with Dimitri and Ingrid near, keeping Annette and Mercedes protected from any direct combat. She ran to Dimitri with Ashe in tow. “We’re moving ahead so Ashe can speak with Lord Lonato before the knights can reach him. I’m entrusting you to lead the students.”

Dimitri stood a little taller at the request and nodded. He signaled for the rest to come near. Byleth could just make out him telling them their strategy for when they meet any hostile enemies as she sprinted towards where the battle sounded the loudest. She made frequent checks to make sure Ashe was still near.

When shapes started to form in the mist, Byleth grabbed Ashe’s hand and ran parallel to the people in search of wooded cover. A man, young and inexperienced, stood alone in front of them. Recognition showed in Ashe’s face as Byleth approached him, sword drawn.

“Professor, no,” Ashe yelled before she could attack. “This is a friend of mine, please don’t hurt him,” he pleaded. She stepped back, holding her sword at the ready in case the man still attacked. Ashe ran to him, shaking as he embraced the man. “Edwin, you have to get away. If you fight the knights, they will kill you!”

“I can’t run away, Ashe. This is my duty,” the man said, fear quivering in his voice. “Just go, I can’t fight you either.”

Byleth grabbed Ashe’s hand and pulled him away. The muffled sound of Ashe’s sobs carried her feet faster to the tree line she could now make out. The noise of his cries would just make it easier for them to be detected. Once safely in the wooded area, she stopped. 

“We need to be silent if we are to continue,” she said sternly. She wanted to console him, to help him through the grief he must surely feel, but even if she knew the right words to say, there wasn’t enough time. He choked back his tears and nodded, following her as she set off again.

They’d stop frequently, allowing her to listen or spot the location of the fighting. She kept their distance from any combat; they didn’t have the luxury of time to deal with any foes. The knights were known to make quick work out of any battle. There was no telling when they’d find Lonato.

A clearing opened up before them. She could just make out the towering shape of a man on horseback, eyes fixed on the hazy battle before him. He made no effort to join the combatants ahead. This is it, Byleth thought as she halted.

Ashe must’ve realized who they were seeing. He ran out and cried, “Lonato,” before stumbling to the ground near the horse. Byleth ran out to join him, keeping her sword out and ready. The man’s face was just barely visible in the fog. He had a beard and posture of an older man. 

“Why are you doing this?” she heard Ashe yell over the noise of the fighting.

“They killed Christophe. He was my boy. I must put an end to the Church’s evil ways,” Lonato’s voice answered, low and gruff.

“Please, just surrender. There must be a way we can work through this without the killing. Those townsfolk don’t deserve to die!” The mist began to fade around them as he spoke. Byleth knew there wasn’t much time left.

“No, Rhea needs to be stopped. She deceives people in the Goddess's name. Her knights are no better, we must fight for what is right!” Lonato said, bracing his lance to his side.

The red glow of Catherine’s sword approached quickly through the remaining mist. She appeared within seconds. Lonato’s eyes slitted when he saw her. His grip on the lance tightened.

“You,” his voice rumbled in the night. “You’re the reason Christophe is dead.” 

He charged at her from atop his steed. She jumped out of the lance’s reach and turned to face him. “He was a traitor to the Church. It was his own actions that caused his death,” she replied.

Byleth darted to Ashe and pulled him into the safety of the trees. She shielded him from having to watch. His body shivered under her touch. Tears rolled down his cheeks, unable to stop what had been fated.

Catherine ran at Lonato, sword drawn high before he could turn his horse around for another charge. She knocked him off his mount with a thrust of her hilt. He fell to the ground, losing the grip of his lance that rolled away. Before he could scramble to reach it, she came down with her sword in one fell swoop, killing him instantly and signaling an end to the battle.


	24. Clumsy Comfort

Some scratches and bruises marred the other students, but no one left the battle with wounds as deep as Ashe’s. The proceeding days, Byleth found him in the cathedral, head down in prayer. Or was he accusing the Goddess of a life full of injustices? Only sixteen years of age and he had already seen the death of his parents, adoptive brother, and adoptive father. She couldn’t imagine the amount of grief he must have felt in such a short time.

She sat with him often when time allowed, listening to him talk when he would, but mostly listening to the fervent whispers of others seeking refuge in the Goddess. She felt helpless, unsure of how to relieve the pleading in his eyes, his yearning to turn back time and correct what he missed that lead Lonato to the path of death.

“No amount of meddling with time could fix what has happened,” she heard Sothis say when her mind would wander to the divine pulse. “You could go back to the battle endless times, but what happened to Lonato stemmed from actions years ago.” It was a frequent lecture Sothis would tell whenever Byleth thought of the different atrocities each of her students had faced. No quick fix could be found for the Tragedy and the stemming impact it had. So she could only sit and listen whenever Ashe chose to speak.

A week passed with no improvement on the boy’s well being. She listened to Sothis talk about grief, how intense the feeling could be, and that no two people seemed to react the same when faced with the death of a loved one. No one in Byleth’s life had elicited such an emotion from her, and she found it hard to provide Ashe with any counsel for it.

During their dinner together on Sunday, Jeralt sensed her troubled mind. He tried ignoring it, thinking she would ask if she wanted help. The days of him fighting all her battles for her were in the past, he reasoned. He watched her swirl the contents of her plate without a word. No, he couldn’t stand idly by while she seemed so distressed.

“Something the matter, kid?” he asked.

“No,” she mumbled, still prodding at her food haphazardly with her fork.

“You know I’m here for you for anything,” he replied, trying to keep his worry out of his voice. He’d never seen her look so grim.

She let out a long sigh and looked up at him from her plate. “I’m worried about Ashe. He’s spent all his time in the cathedral since returning from Gaspard.”

“It’s only been a week. The death of a loved one is something people don’t recover from quickly. He just needs time to process,” Jeralt said. His mind went to Sitri’s passing. He knew he never really could be the same person as he was before it. If anything, her death made him more acutely aware of how fragile life really was, but with time he could recall memories of her and not be haunted by the pain of grief.

“He tries to open up to me about it, but I think he senses that I don’t understand. I wish there was someone who could talk to him.” She looked up at Jeralt, who shifted uncomfortably at her pleading eyes. 

“Fine, I can stop by the cathedral tomorrow night and talk to him if he is there,” he responded after a few moments of fighting his inner turmoil of the idea.

“Thank you.”

Jeralt watched her return to her food with a new vigor. The time when she showed no hint of expression in her face seemed so long ago to him. Could it have really been only a few short months ago? Jeralt smiled at his daughter, happy to still be able to watch her still grow.

  


* * *

* * *

  


Of course he’s here, Jeralt moaned to himself after spotting Ashe in a pew near the altar. He agreed to do this for Byleth so readily, he failed to remember that talking to people wasn’t a particular forte of his. Too late to turn back though, he thought as he walked towards the boy.

He sat down with a thud, not bothering to ask for the boys’ permission. A few minutes of silence passed before he realized Ashe wouldn’t be the first to speak. 

“Err,” he said, filling the void as he decided how to proceed. “Byleth told me about what happened on the mission, about your father, Lonato.”

“The professor did?” Ashe asked in a faint voice.

The professor? Jeralt’s mind lingered on the question, then realized he meant Byleth. His image of his daughter was so different from what the students’ must have been. Were they always so formal with her, he wondered and then forced himself to remember the task at hand.

“She did.” He looked down at Ashe, whose tear-filled eyes staring back at him. For a moment, Byleth’s lack of emotions as a teen felt like a blessing to him. He never needed to have these difficult talks with her, and now he didn’t know if he could push forward with this one. Too late now, he thought and continued, “I can’t say it gets easier.”

“Excuse me?” Ashe’s face scrunched up in confusion. Jeralt’s words were a stark contrast to the repeated phrases like it’ll get better or the meaningless apologies Ashe had heard from others.

“The death of a loved one. It never gets easier, no matter how many have died. I guess that’s how you know you really cared for them. They still make an impact on you even after passing.” Jeralt sighed, wishing someone more eloquent would trade him places.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“But it’s important to learn to go on without them. I’m sure, despite everything, Lord Lonato would want you to keep moving forward with your life and I know there’s people, friends, around you who wish the same. Then someday, you’ll be able to go a day without feeling overwhelmed by sadness and that day will stretch into a week, a month, or maybe even longer.”

Ashe gave a slight nod. Jeralt rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze before he stood to leave. Ashe whispered something that sounded like thanks. “Take care of yourself, kid,” Jeralt said as he left.

He approached the main doors of the cathedral and saw Byleth standing near. “I thought you had training tonight?” he asked when he came near.

“I decided to combine Mercedes and Dedue’s sessions so they could practice training with each other. That and I wanted to hear what you told Ashe,” she admitted shyly.

He ruffled her bangs and then pulled her into a side hug. “Come on kid, let’s go fishing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be posting next week, need to refocus on writing after the stress of the holidays. Hope everyone's year ends on a high note!  
> As always, thanks for reading! The story is now leaving novella length and entering novel length which is crazy to think about for me.  
> Also, shoutout to MsAquaMarvella for all the comments, they really made my day :)


	25. Swordplay

Over the course of weeks, Ashe began to return to some resemblance of the man Byleth had grown fond of. True to Jeralt’s words, the process was slow, but Byleth nor the other students minded waiting for him to be ready to come back to them.

Byleth glanced over to where Ashe stood, shooting the targets in the training grounds. An inner peace spread through her knowing that he joined their impromptu training session instead of shut in in the cathedral. The gust of a missed attack brought her focus back to her duel with Felix. 

A familiar rhythm blossomed between them over the course of the months. A jab met with a parry or a skillful dodge to avoid a strike, Felix had come close to beating her a handful of times, but his thirst for victory had yet to be satisfied. An expert riposte brought her sword to Felix’s chest, leaving him still on the search for victory.

In a moment of reprieve from Felix badgering for another round, she ducked to a nearby bench and watched the students. Felix quickly moved on to practicing with an apathetic looking Jeritza. Caspar and Raphael brawled in the corner, the former making up for his smaller size with agile speed, and Mercedes cheered Annette on as she shot bursts of wind at different practice dummies.

“What is it, Dimitri?” Byleth asked when she noticed the man hovering near. She shifted to take in his tall figure. A twitch of his fingers betrayed his nerves, not uncommon when he spoke with her, but she took no offense.

“I seem to recall you owing me a favor for helping with the business with the Western Church.” No nerves carried in his voice, it held steady.

Byleth nodded and asked, “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, you see, I’ve been teaching the orphans here the basics of sword fighting. I believe they may benefit better learning from someone with your expertise. Would you come with me to help them? I know they’d be excited to meet the great Ashen Demon.”

“Today?”

“If you are free and it is not too much trouble, yes.”

Byleth raised from her seat in answer. He led her through the archways of the training grounds, keeping pace together as they walked down the pathway towards the greenhouse.

“How long have you been doing this?” Byleth asked, attempting to break the usual silence that formed between them.

“Hmm, if I had to guess, it started around the time of the mock battle, so about two months now. A few of them saw me training and asked if I would teach them. Unfortunately for me, it was one of the few times I was practicing with a sword and they’ve confused me for having some knowledge with it. I’ve tried to convince them to learn the lance instead, but it seems the sword is what’s popular these days.” Dimitri let out a muffled laugh.

They passed Lysithea, sitting on the stairs that led to a block of dormitories, hunched over a heavy-looking book, and said hello. The girl looked up and returned the greeting with a curt nod before quickly devoting her attention back to the book.

“Teaching, admittedly, isn’t my strong suit, but they are excellent students,” Dimitri continued.

“Ah, well, I think you may soon find out my secret. Teaching isn’t my strong suit either, but don't tell the Church that,” Byleth said with a slight quirk of her lips.

“Was that a joke professor? And here I thought you were always serious.” Dimitri laughed and turned towards the docks. A group of children, no older than ten, were waiting with makeshift swords near the stairs.

She started the lesson by having the children show the knowledge they already had. She watched the students battle among themselves. Their weapons, mostly tattered wooden training swods discarded by the officer’s academy, thudded against each other as they made contact.

Some minutes passed, and she called for their attention. “His highness has taught you well. I think you are ready to learn a basic parry, not only will it protect you, it can open up your opponent to a counterattack.

“If you see the other person going in for a swing, shift your hips forward towards the attack and use the momentum to bring your sword in for the parry.” The professor demonstrated the motion as she described it. She gestured for Dimitri to join her. 

“Are you comfortable attacking me with your sword?” she whispered, motioning to the one he carried on his belt. He nodded and positioned himself across from her. When she signaled, he cut towards her chest and she used the technique to stop him. They repeated this multiple times, him attacking faster and faster for her to show the action.

Satisfied, she broke the children into pairs to practice, rotating between the role of the attacker. Dimitri leaned against the cool stone walls while the professor circled the group.

She approached the groups, making adjustments in their stance where needed, or offering words of encouragement. She really did have a gift for teaching, Dimitri thought as he watched the children take to her lesson.

The fast swing of a sword caught his eye, and he saw a young boy fail to parry a strike. The sword made contact with his arm, leaving a small, but bloody scratch. His muted whimpers quickly turned to sobs as he clutched his arm in pain.

Dimitri started from his place to help him, but the professor reached him first. She knelt and whispered to the boy, who nodded and allowed her to inspect the cut. She brought her hands over it and closed her eyes. A moment later, a green light illuminated the arm and healed it. 

“Another important lesson,” she announced to the group as she stood. “Sometimes parrying fails and you can’t dodge. A hit to the arm is better than the head or chest, as he just showed.” She looked down at the child and patted his back. “Thank you for helping with the lesson.” He smiled up brightly, tears replaced by pride.

Dimitri approached the professor as the children returned to their practice. “I wasn’t aware you knew healing magic.”

“Not very well. A recent skill I’ve acquired in hopes of helping Mercedes, but it seems she is teaching me more than I her.” Byleth shrugged. She returned to the children, helping them as needed. After another ten minutes, she signaled for them to stop.

“You’ve all done well. I think that is enough for the day, but please make sure to keep practicing as homework.” The group moaned at the term, but Dimitri knew from experience that they’d eagerly keep working on the move.

“We want to see you and the prince have a proper battle,” a girl called out from the group.

The professor turned to Dimitri. “If you are alright with that,” he responded to her unspoken question.

They faced each other, steel swords replaced with borrowed wooden ones from the children. The traditional bow between them started the duel. Dimitri swung his sword quick and hard. He knew he’d have to rely on his strength as his only hope for beating the professor, and the quicker he could land a hit, the better.

She parried the swing with not so much as a flinch. He regained control of the sword and went for a crosscut, but she dodged it and his next attack. She’s toying with me, he thought as he went for a jab that she ducked around, why else would she not respond with an attack.

He brought his sword low to his left and forcefully swept it up at her. This time she parried the attack, but Dimitri’s attack was too strong and splintered both swords into pieces. Dimitri looked at the ground, now littered with wooden fragments. Taking advantage of his distraction, the professor twisted behind Dimitri. His skin prickled at the warmth of her breath on his neck, and then he felt the rugged tip of what remained of her sword in his side.

“Another lesson,” she called to the cheering crowd, “don’t get distracted.”

The children scampered up the steps, leaving Dimitri with the professor. He rubbed his neck, suddenly aware of how cold it felt in the absence of her breath. His cheeks flamed in embarrassment as he dropped his hand and looked over at the professor, who, thankfully, busied herself with cleaning up the debris from the swords.

“Here, let me help you,” he stammered out. Dimitri knelt near the professor and joined in picking up the shards of wood. Her hand brushed over his as they both reached for the last pieces. He felt the burn in his cheeks return.

“You look flushed,” she said, causing him to blush more deeply. “You shouldn’t have exerted yourself so much. I can finish cleaning up here, go up to the dining hall to get yourself some water.”

“Thank you, professor,” he mumbled with a bow, relieved she thought his redness was from the match. He turned and hastened up the stairs to escape further embarrassment.


	26. A Plot

Byleth stood at the head of the classroom. The nerves she had at the start of the year evaporated into confidence. She felt at home going over the more advanced battle formations, answering any question from her students as they may rise.

A knock on the wall from the courtyard interrupted her lecture, attracting her attention to the doorway. Cyril, the Church’s errand boy, stood near sheepishly. “Err, ma’am, Seteth has asked for the professors and house leaders to meet with him now. If you could wait in the courtyard, we can all go together.”

“Alright, Cyril,” Byleth called out as the boy raced off to collect the others. “Class, please feel free to move the desks and practice the formations while Dimitri and I are gone.”

Claude and Hanneman were already waiting in the courtyard. They could hear Cyril at the Black Eagle’s room reciting the same speech. Claude smiled as the two approached and asked, “Any idea what this is about?” They all looked to Byleth, hopeful she would know, but she only shook her head.

Cyril rushed out from the last classroom with Manuela and Edelgard following near. “Thanks for waiting for me. Seteth was pretty adamant about speaking to you all at once, and I don’t want him to tell Lady Rhea that I didn’t follow his exact orders.”

“Again Cyril, I must ask what this is about,” Hanneman said in a huff. “It is most unorthodox to interrupt our lectures.”

“No idea, but I’m sure Seteth will tell you soon enough.” 

Cyril took off at a quick pace, leaving everyone to chase after him. He took the stairs leading to the audience chamber two at a time. When they finally got to Seteth, accompanied by Lady Rhea, Manuela was gasping for air.

“Thank you, Cyril,” Seteth said. His eyebrow raised when he noticed Manuela, but ignored it. “We have alarming news. When searching through Lonato’s belongings, Catherine came upon a note detailing a planned assassination attempt on Lady Rhea.” A faint gasp came from Cyril, who lingered in the doorway. “We were hoping to be able to put an end to the threat, but our investigations have turned up nothing. The assassination is to take place next week during the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth.”

“We wished to keep this matter confidential, but with the event being so near, it leaves us little options,” Lady Rhea chimed in.

“Yes,” Seteth continued. “Your mission this month is to provide extra security during the ceremony. Lady Rhea and I will be in the Goddess Tower praying, her safety is in your hands. You are dismissed.”

They left for their classrooms. Only the sound of Hanneman lecturing Manuela on the severity of the surrounding space, the rest too absorbed by the news to talk. Byleth wanted nothing more than to meet with Jeralt, but another mission took him away from the monastery. Surely he will be back to assist with the task, she thought, but even if he was, it did not relieve the nagging feeling she had. Each month seemed to keep them more and more apart and, despite the pride she felt teaching, she missed the closeness between them when they were still just mercenaries.

Dimitri and Byleth entered the Blue Lions’ classroom and helped return the furniture to their normal locations. When everyone settled in their seats again, Byleth took the floor at the front. She looked at each face, all eager to learn why Dimitri and their professor were called away. All but Sylvain’s, who must have slipped away in their absence. No matter, Byleth thought, Ingrid will fill him in soon enough and her wrath was a more suitable punishment than any Byleth could think of.

“We’ve received word on our mission for the month,” Byleth started. “The Church found plans detailing a plot to assassinate Lady Rhea during the Rite of Rebirth. Each house has been tasked with providing additional security during the time to protect the archbishop.” She purposefully neglected to mention Lonato’s involvement for Ashe's sake.

She scanned her notes, letting the class chatter among themselves before pulling their attention back. “I’m sure as the day approaches, we will be given more information on the mission. For now, we should focus on today’s lesson.”

The students hurried out of the classroom once dismissed. All but Dimitri, who lingered at his desk, busying himself with his books to not draw suspicion from the rest. Byleth also made no effort to leave the room. She had planned to revise tomorrow’s lesson plan again. Mercedes made her promise to cut the one-on-one sessions down to every other week as to not overdo it, and she found herself at a loss with the free time.

“Did you need something?” She asked the prince after noticing his continued presence.

“It’s about the note. I think it was just a distraction for something else.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Claude’s voice sounded from behind Dimitri, causing him to jump. Claude, without need of an invitation, joined them at the table. “Hilda and Linhardt will join us soon, teach.”

“What is this about?” Dimitri asked.

“It’s about time our little library sleuth joined the club, wouldn’t you say?” Claude asked the professor.

Byleth could only offer a confused Dimitri a shrug before the doors of the room clattered open. The backside of Hilda’s pink ponytails were the only thing visible at first until she stepped into the room. Linhardt’s green hair cascaded over Hilda’s hands that were currently tucked under his arms as she dragged him into the room. She unceremoniously dropped him with a thud that echoed in the stone room and joined Claude at his table.

“Don’t you dare put me on Linhardt duty again! He was sleeping in the Black Eagles room and forced me to drag him all the way here.” Hilda stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and massaged her arms with a whimper in an act that Claude ignored.

Linhardt rose from where Hilda left him on the ground. “You should have said something earlier. It was hard to sleep with you tugging me along like that, I could’ve walked.”

“You were awake?” Exasperated, Hilda slumped her head to the table.

“Well, yes. I just assumed you were enjoying yourself.” Linhardt joined Dimitri’s table. He looked in surprise when he realized who he sat next to. “Oh, how long have you been here?”

Dimitri furrowed his eyes at the man and turned his attention back to the front of the room. “Professor, I must ask, what exactly is going on?”

“Allow me to explain,” Claude eagerly offered before the professor could answer. “Do you remember the bandit that chased us into Remire Village?” Dimitri nodded. “Something bothered me about it, and I needed to know who was behind such a well-planned assault. That’s how this group started. We’re all here to uncover what happened along with any other mysteries that may arise, like an attempt on the archbishop's life.”

“Did you find out anything about the bandits?”

“Uh, not yet, but I do know he was hired by a mysterious person. Anyway, I think you’re right. Why would Lonato just so happen to be carrying detailed plans about an assassination? Surely, it was placed there to distract us from what is really going on.”

“Wait,” Dimitri interrupted. “You called me library sleuth, why?”

“I can answer that one.” Linhardt perked his head up from where it rested on his hand. “I was to notify Claude whenever you were in the library and the general area you pulled books from.”

Dimitri’s lips tightened in a frown and Claude interjected quickly, “Not that the information was all that useful, but maybe we can work out a sort of deal. You join us and we will help you find whatever you’re after.” Claude flashed his charming smile and moved on. “We need to figure out the reason for this plot if we plan on doing anything to stop the enemy’s goal.”

Each privately brainstormed what the author of the note could really be after. Hilda spoke first, “If everyone is focused on protecting Lady Rhea at the goddess tower, that would leave the rest of the monastery unprotected.”

“Seteth has told me there are numerous treasures stored at Garreg Mach. In my experience, greed is a driving force for crimes,” Byleth said. Her hands interlocked as she leaned towards the group.

“Thievery, that sounds possible, but what could they be after,” Claude said.

Dimitri watched the group as they discussed in excitement different locations that could be targeted during the rite. Claude added each idea into a small leather-bound notebook he brought out from his pocket. Dimitri added half ideas here and there but mostly observed. A feeling he couldn’t quite place overshadowed any thoughts he may have otherwise had. It was not quite anger, though learning they had monitored his visits to the library displeased him. No, it was something in the easy way Claude and the professor talked to each other, but he couldn’t say what.

Finally, they called the meeting to an end. Each had a list of possible locations of interests, from the greenhouse’s rare plants to the valuable weapons in the armory, and the task to investigate any person who may provide additional insight as they dispersed into the night.


	27. Regroup

At the insistence of Claude, the members of the club met at their secluded corner in the rose gardens of the courtyard. This proved to be a harder feat for Dimitri, who was entirely unsure of the location and only managed to make it after being discovered wandering the area aimlessly by the professor. His embarrassment radiated from him as she ushered him to the others, not that she noticed; however, the quirk of Claude’s eyebrow suggested to Dimitri that the young future duke did.

The harmonious chirps of crickets helped drown out the sound of their hushed whispers. They breathed in the intoxicating aroma of the flowers around them, the beauty of the night a stark contrast to the difficulties the next day promised them. Each lounged leisurely on the ground. Here and there one would grab a piece of fruit or sweet to eat, no longer worried about the ethics in how Claude obtained their feast.

Linhardt let out a deep yawn, signaling the end of the idle chatter all meetings have at their start. Dimitri watched the other members straighten at this call for attention. A business formality replaced the dream-like ambiance almost immediately, but for Dimitri, it still felt like a dream. Only a few days ago he did not know the existence of the little group, no reason to suspect that any of them were more than passing acquaintances outside of Claude and Hilda. He was still unsure of what he thought of the group when Claude took the floor.

“The Rite is set to take place tomorrow evening. The question is, where will we be during it?” Claude asked the group.

“Well, Ferdinand seems to think whoever is behind this is going to set fire to the stables. I think he’s wrong, but I suppose that’s where he will be tomorrow,” Linhardt said. 

“Raphael had a similar idea, but with the dining hall,” Hilda added in. “He’s worried they’ll raid the food supply, so he’s decided to camp out there and protect it from any harm.” She rolled her eyes dramatically and grabbed a handful of grapes. “Little does he know his house leader is responsible for any food thefts.” The comment earned her a playful jab from Claude’s elbow.

“I heard Flayn mention that tomorrow is the only day the holy mausoleum is unlocked to the public. Perhaps it is merely a coincidence, but, with everyone distracted with protecting the archbishop, it would be the perfect opportunity to steal from there without the threat of being caught,” Dimitri said.

“But what would they steal from there?” Claude asked. 

“Apparently the mausoleum holds the tomb of Seiros. If we were to assume the Western Church is involved in this as well, I believe it could hold some importance to them,” Byleth said after contemplating the location. 

“Not a lot of evidence to go on, but I think it might be our best bet. The five of us probably shouldn’t handle this alone though, in case there is trouble.” Claude twisted his finger in the grass beside him, deep in thought. “Let’s all meet at the cathedral around the start of the ceremony. Bring who you can, but make it seem like we didn’t plan this. I don’t want people finding out about the group.”

Byleth nodded and went to leave, but heard a small “professor” from Dimitri causing her to stop. He jogged the short distance between them and gestured to keep walking towards the dorms. Curious, she thought, only a handful of weeks ago he avoided her outside of class and training.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Dimitri asked, but noticed a tilt of her head that encouraged him to explain. “This group Claude has collected, I never expected it.”

“I’m still unsure of it myself,” she replied. “He more or less forced it on Linhardt and me. I suppose I should include you in that category too now.”

“Are you not the least bit curious about why?” Dimitri frowned. He didn’t take the professor as someone who would go along with another’s whims without reason. He’d admit there was something almost enticing about Claude, but he could say the same for Sylvain and the professor had never paid attention to his schemes.

“I suppose that’s why I initially went along with it. Something about his eyes,” the professor said, letting her voice trail off as if deep in thought.

“His eyes?” Dimitri asked. That strange feeling he felt before simmered in his chest and he felt his brows furrow. To him, it seemed the professor had taken more of an interest in Claude than her own class. He reasoned he felt some resentment towards the situation, even if she still spent the majority of her time with the Blue Lions.

They passed through the archways that separated the courtyard from the pathway to the dorms. The professor didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes had a far off look to them like she was debating what she met by it herself. “Have you not noticed? He smiles so easily, but the warmth never touches his eyes. They’re always cold, almost as if he’s just calculating his next move,” she said at last.

Something about her response silenced the feeling building in Dimitri. He felt relief almost. “I know what you mean. I’ve noticed it too. Talking with him, it feels as if I’m playing a game of chess and not one that I’m winning.”

They stopped on the steps that led to her dorm. Dimitri looked at the neighboring door. It was Dedue’s and he worried that the man would open his door at any moment, ruining some secret between him and the professor. A silly notion, he thought and shook his head to rid himself of it. They were merely teacher and pupil, discussing ideas about tomorrow’s mission. Though it did remind him of Claude’s parting words.

“I’m sure it will be easy to convince the class to break into patrol groups for the rite. I’m not much of a liar though, and fear being found out,” Dimitri said.

“If that’s the case, then it would be best to bring someone who would think us meeting the others is only a happy coincidence.” the professor ran into her room, leaving Dimitri alone on the stairs and confused. A few moments later she returned with a quill and parchment and sat on the steps. “That would eliminate Ingrid, Felix, Sylvain, and Dedue. They know you too well.” She explained as she wrote the first three names in a one column and Dedue’s in another. “That leaves Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes.”

Dimitri weighed the pros and cons of each of them. Despite their time in the academy, he wasn’t particularly close with any of them. Outside of shared meals with the Lions as a whole, he hadn’t spent a lot of time with anyone besides Dedue who insisted on accompanying him everywhere.

“I think we should bring Mercedes,” she concluded. “Without knowing the situation we may be getting ourselves into, it’s safer to bring another healer along.”

Dimitri nodded, a little relieved at the suggestion. Mercedes had been nothing but kind to everyone since coming to the academy, and he welcomed her calming disposition in the group. He watched the professor write Annette and Ashe’s name under Dedue’s before standing.

“I’ll let everyone know their assignments for the mission in the morning. Goodnight, Dimitri,” she said and disappeared behind her door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on writing about the Rite for this chapter, but the meeting manifested into something longer than I initially intended. A happy accident, Bob Ross would say.


	28. Into the Mausoleum

The students formed loose groups with the other members of their party as Byleth listed them off. She heard Ingrid mumble, “Great. Another day babysitting,” as she went to stand with Felix and Sylvain. Dedue, however, proved difficult to separate from the prince. His concerns for Dimitri’s safety only subsided at Byleth’s promise to keep a watchful eye on him. 

“Right,” she started once the students quieted down. “Most of the knights are assigned to guard the goddess tower once the rite starts. Her immediate safety should be well taken care of, so our task will focus more on securing the perimeter and watching for any suspicious groups. Each group will make their way around the monastery following the general path of the entry doors to greenhouse to training grounds to knights’ hall then back again. Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix will start at the hall and Ashe, Annette Dedue go to the greenhouse. If you see anything, go to the knights or find me, don’t confront anyone alone. Do you understand?”

The group nodded in response, Felix more reluctantly than the rest. Byleth watched all but Dimitri and Mercedes disperse to their assigned starting locations and then headed towards the training ground with the other two in tow. The distant chimes of a bell alerted them to the start of the rite. Byleth wondered if the others would be at the cathedral yet. She didn’t want them to all come at once, that would only raise suspicion. Eventually, they made it to the foot of the bridge that led to the cathedral.

“Should we check down that way?” Mercedes asked. “I’d hate to think of anyone harming the cathedral.”

Byleth nodded, thankful for Mercedes’ pious ways. Once they passed through the large doors of the cathedral, her eyes swept the room. First, she looked for any signs of trouble and then for the other students who would join them. No one yet, she thought as she headed deeper into the cathedral. The doors they had just gone through burst open with a bang, causing Mercedes to jump.

“Why’d you drag me away from the action?” They heard Caspar exclaim, unaware of their presence. An exasperated Linhardt followed him in, who noticed the others and headed towards them. “If I wanted to miss a fight, I would’ve gone with Ferdinand to protect his precious stable. Oh, hi guys,” Caspar said when he finally noticed them.

“Anything exciting happening here?” Linhardt asked.

“No, but we’ve only just arrived,” Byleth answered, wanting to make sure Dimitri wouldn’t have to talk more than necessary. An idea he suggested, less talking meant less risk of getting caught in a lie.

“We were just going to check the mausoleum. Would you like to join?” Mercedes smiled sweetly at the men. The suggestion earned Byleth a frown from Linhardt.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Caspar shrugged and joined Mercedes with the others following behind.

“We mentioned nothing to her,” Dimitri whispered to Linhardt. “Seems to be a coincidence, and she was just worried about the place.”

They got to the nook of the cathedral that housed the entrance to the mausoleum. There was no sign of the Golden Deer and they were hesitant to go further without them but didn’t see how they could delay without telling Mercedes and Caspar why. It didn’t matter though, Caspar’s hand was quickly making its way toward the door’s handle.

A deep guttural sound interrupted Caspar before the door could open. A faint squeal of fear came from one of the students, but Byleth was unsure of who. She grasped her sword and in one motion, drew the weapon and turned only to be met by Claude, flanked by Hilda and Lysithea. He held his hands up in surrender. “Watch where you’re stabbing that thing,” he said and delicately pushed the tip of the sword away from him.

“Really, Claude? You can be so childish sometimes.” Lysithea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“That’s why I have to keep you around. I need someone to make me look more mature,” Claude laughed. The remark earned him a glare from Lysithea. He turned his attention back to the group at the doorway, “I expected better from you guys. We’ve been hiding around the altar since you came in. Actually, we’ve been there for a while now.”

“It’s a miracle from the Goddess that you showed up,” Hilda said dramatically. She cupped her hands around her face and let out a faint cry. “A group of darkly clothed people just went into that mausoleum not ten minutes ago. We barely had time to hide. I’d hate to know what they would’ve done to us if we’d been seen.”

Claude gaped at her over the top performance for a few seconds and then regained his composure. He addressed the others, “There’s no time to wait! We need to stop whatever they are doing.” 

He rushed to the door before anyone could object and slipped inside. Caspar excitedly followed with the rest not far behind. A dimly lit staircase greeted them with muffled voices at the bottom. Byleth stepped out ahead and motioned for the students to stay behind her. They crept down the steps and an expansive room slowly came into view. 

Rows of pillars lined both sides of the room, with stone tombs placed between them. The voices came from the end of the room, gathered around an ornate raised tomb that must have belonged to Seiros. An unnatural light radiated above them. In the center, a ways from the rest, a lone figure stood guard. Large, menacing horns extended from his silhouette.

Byleth halted the students on the steps before they could step out of the shadows. In a hushed voice, she said, “the man in the center looks dangerous. We should create a diversion and then all attack...”

Caspar, ax drawn, rushed down and charged at the armored man. They could hear their foe say, “Attack the others. I don’t waste my time fighting the weak.” A suggestion that Caspar didn’t heed as he swung his ax downward at the man who easily countered with his scythe. Caspar tried to regain his footing, but the scythe slashed through his chest. He fell backward, the sound of his head cracking on the cobbled flooring chilled them.

Three beats, growing in strength, pulsated in the cavity of Byleth’s chest. She heard Sothis hiss, “you can save him,” in her ear. Her vision faded to black. The next thing she saw were her feet, making their way down the stairs and Caspar not far behind her, alive.

Byleth halted the students on the steps before they could step out of the shadows. In a hushed voice, she said, “We need to keep our distance from him.” She pointed at the horned villain in the center and blocked Caspar’s ability to move ahead. “If we can get around him and focus our energy on the people at the tomb, we will stand a better chance.”

“Wouldn’t that just make it more difficult if he attacks us at the same time?” Linhardt asked.

“Something tells me he’s not interested in fighting us. I need you to trust me on this,” Byleth said, reluctant to explain herself further.

They crouched low in an attempt to stay hidden from the ominous man. She knew they didn’t need to, but it would keep the students from asking any more questions. The group went to the left and one by one went from the cover of one tomb to the next, down what felt like an endless line. They crawled up the stairs that elevated the remaining of the mausoleum, staying out of sight as long as possible before ducking behind a pillar near Seiros’ tomb. The people, all adorned in plague doctor masks, were surrounding it. The light radiated off the tips of their fingers, all joined in some spell that caused each to shiver at the thought of its purpose.

She whispered quick plans to the students. The faces that looked back at her, served as a reminder of her duty to protect them. A silent oath passed through her mind, one only Sothis heard, a promise to keep them safe no matter what. She felt the full weight of her responsibility to them, not only as their professor but as their guardian.

In an instant she emerged, running full speed at the group. All but one abandoned their post when they saw and readied for what should be a quick battle. Between the sound of her thunderous steps, she could hear one calling to the death knight for help, calls that were returned with his silence. The students later told her, he didn’t even bother to watch.

A mage, hands glowing in preparation of a spell, took aim at her. An arrow whizzed past her head, silencing the mage before he could unleash his magic. She made a note to praise Claude on his archery another day as adrenaline pushed her forward. Now, the rest of her students came out from the pillar. Dimitri and Caspar not far behind as they ran, lance and ax raised, respectively, ready to fight at her side. Claude’s nimble fingers found a ready arrow in his quiver and aimed again. Lysithia, said inaudible words under her breath, hands flaring in an unnatural shade of purple. While Linhardt and Mercedes stood by, ready to cast their healing magic at a moment's notice.

Byleth swung her sword hard at another mage before the chaos erupted around her. The students’ assault morphed the mausoleum from its forlorn silence into a frenzied battlefield. Her target hardly stood a chance, his chest mangled by the strokes of her sword. Just a sick, bloodied tapestry as he fell to the ground unceremoniously.

Her eyes darted about the room. The remaining mages were all preoccupied with the others. All except one. The one who stayed with the tomb. She quickened to it, just in time to see his spell finish, dissolving the magic that previously protected and he saw her too.

“You’re too late,” he yelled at her. “It’s ours.” 

The mage reached as Byleth took off in a sprint towards him. His hands grasped the hilt of a sword and pulled it from its place of rest in the otherwise empty tomb, but he didn’t turn around quick enough. Byleth slammed her body into his, knocking the sword away from him. She flung herself after it as it slid towards the battle. Dimitri swung his lance at the man he fought, buying him enough time to grab the sword and toss it to the professor.

Byleth caught it. Her fingers tingled as they wrapped around its grip. She took a step to the mage, his hands raised to create a blue shield in front of him. Another step, sword raised. Another step, the hilt began to glow red. Another step, the glow spread to the rest of the sword, encompassing it whole. Another step, she brought the sword down on him. His shield resisted, but she continued to put her weight behind the sword and pressed on. Suddenly, the sound of cracking glass could be heard, deafening all other noise. Hairline cracks formed in the shield, small at first, but rapidly spreading, web-like, until the shield shattered into a million pieces that vanished before they fell. With no defenses to protect him now, the sword pierced through him. He laid, slumped over the tomb. A body to replace the one that was missing.

“You’ve become a tantalizing surprise,” she heard a voice whisper in her ear. She turned and there stood the death knight, near enough that she could feel the warmth of his body despite his armor. His menacing form towered over her as if she was nothing but a child. “Until we meet again,” he said, his voice becoming faint as he dissipated into the air like smoke, leaving her.


	29. The Sword of the Creator

The knights stormed into the mausoleum, led by Catherine and eager to draw blood. Their armor rattled with each step, gaining the attention of the students and what remained of the mages. “These knights are keen on making an entrance, aren’t they? I’ve yet to see one who could tell me the definition of subtle” Sothis moaned.

“Round up everyone,” Catherine ordered the knights and made her way towards Byleth. 

Her expression hardened when she saw the still glowing sword in Byleth’s hand. Byleth raised the sword, seeing it for what it was for the first time. It was pale and cold to a touch, made from material she couldn’t quite place. The guard extended out in a shape that reminded her of wings and one side of the edge was jagged, but most curious of all was a hole where the blade met the grip as if something was missing.

“How did you find us?” Byleth asked.

“Group of your students heard the commotion you caused and ran and found us. Not that it looks like you needed any help, but now Seteth will get live bodies to interrogate. Speaking of Seteth, they should be finishing up the rite soon and I’m sure he wants to talk to you.” Catherine quirked her head to the staircase that led back the cathedral.

The doors to the audience chamber were heavily guarded by the knights. They parted for the oncoming pair, some saluting to their captain as Catherine passed. They heard Rhea and Seteth when they entered, voices coming from the sitting room connected to the chamber. Almost instantly, the pair noticed the sword in Byleth’s hand and the red light it illuminated. Seteth frowned at it, but Rhea smiled warmly.

“May I see the sword?” she asked Byleth with a hand reached out to take it and Byleth obliged. The light around the sword dimmed until it was no more in Rhea’s hands. “The Sword of the Creator, I can hardly remember the last time I saw it. It is a Heros’ Relic, a powerful one and dangerous too. Our most treasured artifact. Please take good care of it,” she said and handed the sword back to Byleth. Its red glow returned in her hands.

“Rhea, please reconsider. It is not wise to trust this, this stranger with such a precious item. Even if she has the power to wield it, remember the last person who did. If it falls into the possession of someone like Nemesis again, all of Fodlan could be consumed by war,” Seteth argued.

“I have faith in her, faith that she will not become corrupted by wickedness. The sword has found its new master,” Rhea said.

“I, I understand,” Seteth said in defeat. Still, he eyed Byleth with suspicion. “Do not betray the archbishop's trust. You are dismissed.”

Byleth placed the sword on the desk in her room. She sat on her bed, across from it, and watched the light slowly fade. A sword she didn’t understand. That was a first, she thought. 

“It seems important to them. How strange they should entrust it to you,” Sothis said, a statement Byleth couldn’t help but agree with. “This place is full of so many mysteries, it’s frightening. I am placing my trust in you.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


The training ground seemed like the safest place for Byleth to clear her head of all that happened. She left the Sword of the Creator in her room, behind her locked door. She didn’t need it to serve as a reminder of yet another change in her life since that night in Remire Village just a few short months ago.

She sat on an open bench when she entered through the pillared archways, readying herself for the match Felix was sure to be begging her for. However, it seemed her being there had been predicted. Hanneman approached her with speed, arms encumbered with books and scrolls.

“Byleth, may I have a word,” he asked, joining her on the bench. “I heard what happened last night in the mausoleum with the Sword of the Creator. Don’t worry, I spent all night pouring over anything that proved helpful and I can tell you with certainty you bear the Crest of Flames. It was thought to have disappeared generations ago! I will need to run additional tests on it, should be as simple as a blood withdraw or analyzing,”

“Duel?” A low drawl from behind interrupted Hanneman’s rambling.

Byleth looked up to see Jeritza. His face hidden by a thin white mask that his blonde hair cascaded over. She gladly accepted, not just to escape Hanneman’s onslaught of tests, but because she was curious too. The man had never approached her, despite the countless hours both spent at the training ground, so the offer came as a surprise.

“Thank you,” she said when they were safely out of earshot from Hanneman, but Jeritza returned to his eerie silence.

They entered a sparring ring, went to opposite ends, and faced each other. Equipped with dull edged iron swords, they bowed deep per tradition. With the civilities out of the way, they charged, full sprint at each other.

Their swords locked together, filling the area with a loud clang. The strength both put behind their blades was evenly matched, forcing Byleth to make a quick retreat to her end of the ring. Locked in eye contact, they circled the circumference of the ring, each debating their next move.

Jeritza sprang first, running at Byleth with his sword ready to strike. He swept low, an attack Byleth was able block by lowering her sword and parrying, but he was quick to go for another. She didn’t have enough time to block and had to duck below the swing. He kicked at her, forcing her to roll out of the way.

She barely had time to jump to her feet before he was on her again. A fury of slashes came down on her. She blocked each, but knew she’d have to attack if she hoped to win. He had a fighting style of his own, hungry and brutal. He gave her none of the decorum she saw him duel Felix with; it was fight he was desperate to win.

She broke off his onslaught of attacks, and they returned to their ends of the ring. Like lions after prey, they circled each other, swords hung limply at their sides. It was Byleth’s turn to make the next move. She approached him, calculating her options and what he’d least expect. She swung low, but as he readied to parry, she transitioned the swing into a stab. He ducked out of the way in time, but it left him open to her. Again she swung hard. He parried late. Her sword stopped dangerously close to his hilt. It was all she needed. She twisted her sword around until it snagged between his blade and hilt and forced him to lose his grip and then she kicked at his upper thigh.

He fell to the ground, and she jumped on him. Her legs straddled on either side of his body with his arms pinned underneath and her sword pointed at his neck. She sat there, as he stared intensely back and refused to cede. Slowly, she brought the tip of her sword down on his neck, only stopping when his skin threatened to break at its weight.

Still, he stared back. Seconds passed with them entwined, both refusing to give in and be the one who ends the match. “If this was a real battle, you’d have no choice but to kill me,” Jeritza said in his low, methodical voice. “But, if you insist.” He tapped his hand to the ground at last, declaring his loss.

Byleth stood and lowered a hand for him. He accepted it, squeezing hard as she helped him up. She thought he seemed disappointed, but he proved hard to read. “Thank you, it was a good match,” she said and bowed. He walked off saying nothing in return.

“I’m next,” Felix said from her side.

She obliged. She felt Jeritza’s eyes on her the entire duel, intense and unnerving as he stood in the shadows of the pillars. She denied Felix’s request of another duel. Instead, she retreated to the dining hall, away from those masked eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say, I'm never writing a fanfic that includes sword duels once this one is finished. It's tough to write them, not exactly an experience I'm familiar with. Shout out to the other authors out there who happily include them.  
> Thanks for reading!


	30. Trouble in the North

“The Sword of the Creator and the Death Knight walk into a mausoleum,” Claude started but was meant by moans from the rest of the group. “What, you guys heard that one already?”

“Ugh, Claude, no one wants to hear your bad jokes right now,” Hilda rolled her eyes.

The group gathered in their nook in the courtyard, Dimitri included. The rest treated his presence as if he’d always been there. They sat around their usual picnic. Some protested the meal, saying it seemed unnecessary, but Claude reminded them that it would draw off any suspicions if someone found them.

“So what exactly is it?” Claude asked and gave Linhardt an expectant look.

He propped up on his elbows with a sigh. “To start, it’s a Hero’s Relic. You’ve seen Catherine’s Thunderbrand and I know each of your families have one as well. May I?” Linhardt asked the professor with a gesture to her scabbard. She unsheathed the sword and handed it to him. Linhardt examined the hilt while the rest watched in silence. “What makes this rare is there’s no stone. Which typically means it wouldn’t have any power, but as we all saw...” He raised his hand as if to wave the thought away. “Plus, there’s the little thing about the last person to wield it being Nemesis. It makes you quite the intriguing specimen.” He directed the last part at Byleth.

“Who is Nemesis?” Byleth asked, taking the sword back.

“I forgot you were not raised with the tales of the Church,” Dimitri said, cutting off a disappointed looking Linhardt from answering, who slumped back to the ground and closed his eyes. “Nemesis was the King of Liberation. It was said that he used his power from the Goddess to save Fodlan from evil gods, but eventually became corrupt and killed by Seiros.”

“Still not a lot to go on,” Claude said. “Seems the Golden Deer’s next mission may be useful in all of this. Some disowned son stole the Lance of Ruin from house Gautier and we’re supposed to get it back.”

Dimitri furrowed his brow. “Gautier? That’s Sylvain’s family. It couldn’t be Miklan, could it?”

“Hanneman was a little fuzzy on the details, but that sounds right,” Claude shrugged. “I’m not too familiar with the Kingdom’s nobility so I could be wrong though. We’re heading out in a couple of days, once the Church firms up the location. Hilda and I will keep you guys updated.”

Dimitri and the group dispersed shortly after. He only half-listened as they talked about the assault and the Western Church. His mind too fixated on Sylvain and his family to offer more than a meaningless nod. Miklan had always been cast aside for Sylvain despite being the oldest and the treatment garnered hostility towards the younger brother.

His pace quickened when the rest of the group could no longer see him. They idled behind, making friendly chitchat. Friendly chitchat? He thought to himself as he walked away. Had he ever seen the professor look so comfortable with anyone outside of Jeralt, he wondered before refocusing on the situation at hand.

Nothing but silence greeted him when he entered the second floor of the dormitories. He couldn’t say if it was too early or too late for the other students to buzz about the hallways like they typically would in the evening. He carried on down the long hallway. His room stood second to last at the end, but he didn’t stop, he wanted the last one.

The knock on the door sounded loudly in the quiet hallway. Dimitri called out Sylvain’s name after a brief wait, but there was still no answer. He placed an ear to the door and listened in a futile attempt for any movement. The door opened slowly under his hand and greeted him with darkness. He fumbled around until he found a candle to light and then sat on the empty bed, resolved to wait for Sylvain’s return.

The sound of the door opening woke Dimitri. Bright light filtered through the small window and alerted him to the early hour. Strange how the rare night of sleep was found in his friend’s bed, hidden from the ghosts that haunt his own. Sylvain’s frown greeted him when he came into the room and noticed Dimitri lounging on the bed with his back leaning against the wall. He let out a long sigh before sitting on the desk opposite Dimitri.

“Could you at least hold off on lecturing me until I’ve had breakfast? Having to listen to it now will only give me indigestion.” Sylvain said.

Dimitri pushed himself off the wall to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m not here to lecture you. Ingrid does a much better job at that than I could ever do. Though, where were you all night?” He narrowed his eyes at his friend’s disheveled appearance.

Sylvain’s hand raised to his head and halfheartedly flattened the mess of red hair. “I’ll give you three guesses, but we both know it won’t take you that many. I was with a girl from town and I really think she’s the one.” He looked at Dimitri, his eyebrows raised over his widened eyes and pout. 

Dimitri rubbed his temple, trying to keep the disappointment he felt at bay. This wasn’t why he was there, he reminded himself. Still, he couldn’t ignore the discrepancies of someone representing the Blue Lions. “Please Sylvain, I am asking as your house leader to be a little more discreet in your activities. They’re not only a reflection on you but all of us from the Kingdom.”

“And I am asking as one of your oldest friends to lighten up a little, your highness.” Sylvain bowed low and dramatic as he said Dimitri’s title mockingly. “Seriously, you’ve been on what, zero dates in your life? Last I checked you thought giving a girl a dagger was a good gift and you walk around with a stick up your ass scaring off anyone who might be interested. You need to loosen up a little, have some fun while you’re here.” Sylvain’s face brightened suddenly, causing Dimitri to tense. “I’ll tell you what, we can make a deal. I’ll be studious and make more of an effort in class and you go out on a date. There’s got to be someone here who’s caught your eye.”

Dimitri had to admit that he’d never been one for dating, but if it meant that Sylvain would take the academy more seriously. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Sylvain smiled slyly at him. “You agreed awfully fast. Maybe there’s someone you already had in mind?” Dimitri reddened at the question. Sylvain leapt off the desk and plopped on the bed next to him. He looked at Dimitri with eager eyes. “Is it Annette, or maybe Mercedes?” He watched Dimitri’s face for any betrayal of his emotions. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

“There’s no one. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.” Dimitri stiffened, his thumb drummed the bed in agitation. “I’ve heard word of the Golden Deer’s mission this month. It’s Miklan. He stole the Lance of Ruin and there being sent to retrieve it.”

Sylvain darkened at the news. “Guess I always knew he had it in him. Why are they sending the Deer? Isn’t it a Kingdom matter?”

“Your father must have asked the Church, and that’s who they assigned,” Dimitri shrugged. The thought of someone else dealing with the matter didn’t sit well with him, but he had no power over the situation. “I just didn’t want you to find out through some rumor.”

Sylvain gave Dimitri a small smile. “Thanks for looking out.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


Word traveled fast around the monastery when the golden Deer returned from their mission. It proved difficult to decipher what was true or just embellishment on the story. The accounts went so far as to say a giant beast emerged and attacked the students during the mission.

Claude kept to his word and organized a meeting the night after they returned. He had them meet in Hilda’s room, not wanting to overuse the spot in the gardens. They slipped in through the door, spaced out so no one would be the wiser to the full party the room held.

Hilda recounted the story, acting out the more intense part of the story. Even the rumors didn’t portray the full horrors that happened. Miklan, lance in hand, fought against the students, but before they could defeat him, the lance began to glow. The hilt swallowed his hand and blackness crawled across his skin, transforming him into some kind of demonic beast.

“And if it wasn’t for Claude’s quick thinking of launching an onslaught of arrow attacks to bide time so Lysithea and Lorenz could hit it with magic, I don’t know if we would’ve made it. I even broke a nail during the thing,” Hilda pouted and held up a finger with a jagged nail for the group to see.

The next morning Dimitri retold the details to the rest of the Blue Lions in the dining hall. He gave Sylvain a sympathetic look when he got to the part of Miklan’s transformation. The table fell into a solemn silence when he finished, all waiting for some else to talk.

It was Sylvain who finally spoke first. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to see it. He was already a monster, but to watch him change into an even worse one? I’d rather remember him for what he truly was, a psychopathic jerk, but a human psychopathic jerk.”

“Glenn told me about the time he found you in the woods, alone in the middle of winter, when the Gautiers visited his home,” Ingrid said. “He said he only went looking for you after Miklan laughed about abandoning you to the cold. Even now, I don’t understand how someone could do that to his own brother.”

Sylvain shook at the memory, at the cold numbness he could almost still feel. “Yeah, he was a real winner.”

Ashe took it upon himself to change the topic. He started talking about the book he was reading, one about a gallant knight. Sylvain’s trembling hand steadied with the diversion as the group erupted in a buzz of conversations.

Dimitri listened eagerly to Ingrid and Ashe bickering about the best knight's tale when he felt a kick at his shin. He looked across the table and saw Sylvain staring, and a smug smirk on his face.

He leaned over the table and said in a hushed voice, “I think I know who you’re planning on asking out.” Dimitri could only offer him a confused look. “I saw you sneaking out of Hilda’s room last night and let me say, I am proud.”


	31. Academy Life

Claude and Byleth walked along the paved paths of the monastery, whispering in hushed voices to each other. Theories flew between them about the Western Church and the masked man the bandit told of. They argued whether the ongoings of the year were related in some grand plan or a coincidence, neither sure where they stood on the matter.

“Linhardt is looking into any family who could have some type of association with this flame emperor. It’s not a lot to go on, but I feel like we’ve hit a wall on this. Without him making another appearance somewhere, we have to just keep searching for anything.” Claude spoke, making sure his voice wouldn’t carry to where Lorenz and Ferdinand were discussing the best tea.

Byleth’s mind hovered on the mask, curious about the design and whether seeing it could help trace its origins. “The Western Church had the Death Knight. Why would there be so many masked individuals involved with misdeeds against the Church and academy if they are not related?”

“Maybe there was a sale on masks?” Claude let out a forced a small laugh. “We don’t know enough to assume anything right now.”

They passed by the graveyard and Byleth glanced down. The imposing form of Jeralt’s body stood above a grave. She slowed to a stop to watch him with Claude standing near. Her father stayed there, head down as if in some unheard prayer and unaware of the constant movement of the monastery.

She told Claude to go on and then climbed down the stone staircase that led to the graveyard alone. The gravestone barred no name, erased by the passage of time. She joined Jeralt, breaking the spell it had over him. He looked down at her with a sad smile on his face.

“Ah,” his voice cracked, “I was hoping you’d find me. This is your mother’s grave.” Their eyes both fell upon the gravestone now. Byleth felt Jeralt’s hand on her shoulder, pulling her near before he continued. “She really was my better half. I only wish you could’ve known her.”

Now that she was so near, she saw the faded writing on the stone.   
**1139-1159  
Resting in the warm embrace of cherished memories.**  
They were cherished memories she would never be able to share with her mother. A new longing for something she didn’t know she missed stirred within Byleth. Strange, she never felt the absence before, but the grave stood as a monument to everything she never had, a physical reminder of a life that could’ve been.

Jeralt removed his hand and shuffled around his pocket. Relief washed over his face and he pulled out a ring encrusted with purple stones. He thumbed it in his hands and then gave it to Byleth to inspect.

“When she accepted that ring, it was one of the happiest days in my life. Only matched by the day she told me she was pregnant with you. It’s the only keepsake I have of her. My wish is to see you give that ring to someone you love just as much as I loved her.”

She looked at the ring and felt the weight Jeralt’s words carried with it. The books she read in her younger years talked in great depth about love, knights earning fair maidens’ hearts, or princes’ falling for commoners in the streets of their kingdoms, but the concept was still very foreign to her. The names of the people she met at the academy cycled through her head, no one person dearer to her than the rest. She returned the delicate ring to her father, letting the idea of love wait for another day.

“Come on, kid. Lets go down to the pond. Your old man could use a fishing partner.”

A quiet evening of fishing with her father was something Byleth didn’t realize she longed for until it happened. She had spent nearly all her time focusing on being a professor that she had forgotten what anything outside of class was like.

She looked out into the pond and watched the shadows of fish dart around while she waited for one to tug on her hook. The rhythmic sound of Jeralt’s reel slowly inching the line closer calmed her. She thought back to countless other times they had sat just like they did now, always enjoying each other’s silent company. Words weren’t necessary for them to speak anymore.

A cough came from the shack near the dock, corrupting the tranquility of the night. In unison, they looked back to find Lorenz, a noble from the Alliance, near them. He stood tall and dignified, exuding the presence of a noble.

“Excuse the interruption, professor. Would you join me in a walk?” Lorenz asked.

Byleth glanced to Jeralt, who nodded. She stood and met the man before he continued towards the training hall with her trailing behind.

“I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been spending a lot of time with Claude. As the future Count Gloucester, it is my duty to inform you that he is a rather unworthy man of your time. No, I don’t see him being part of the alliance for long with his lack of character and questionable history. There are many lower nobles in the Alliance who I am sure would be happy to tie themselves to you for your connections to the Church.

“Now personally, I think as a professor you shouldn’t be fraternizing with any students, but I am willing to overlook your misjudgment for now. I just couldn’t let you go on the way you are with Claude without giving you fair warning.” At that, Lorenz stopped walking to look at Byleth. He smiled earnestly, knowing she would be grateful that he took the time to speak with her.

Byleth looked back at him, hushing Sothis streams of insults towards the man. “I am sorry if you had the wrong impression of my relationship with Claude,” she said with an edge of ice in her voice and with a nod, excused herself.

“The Alliance’s faith is surely doomed if an idiot like that has any control over it,” Sothis hissed. “To think he’d be so dense to think you, out of anyone, would try to ‘fraternize’ with a student. You should marry Claude now just to boot that boy out of his noble title.”

Jeralt looked up at her from his seat on the edge of the dock. “He didn’t give any trouble, did he?” He asked.

“He’s taken it upon himself to try to unite me with some lord to keep me away from Claude’s evil influence,” she said, grabbing her pole to rejoin him.

Jeralt let out a hearty laugh. “That’s rich. Never imagined there would be someone who thought they could meddle with your feelings.”

  


* * *

* * *

  


Throughout dinner, Dimitri watched Hilda from the corner of his eyes. Sylvain noticed and gave him a knowing look, but it didn’t bother him. Sylvain was the only reason he was doing this, and as long as the other Blue Lions remained oblivious, he may escape the situation fairly unscathed.

He watched as she finally left the Golden Deer’s table with Marianne in tow. The disappointment of her not being alone threatened to keep him seated. His eyes landed on Sylvain, who wiggled his eyebrows in response and with a sigh, stalked after the women.

“Ahem,” he coughed when he reached them. They both turned towards him, Marianne’s eyes downcast and refusing to meet him. “Hilda, do you think I could talk to you?”

“I-I’ll leave you alone,” Marianne stuttered out before running off.

“Don’t mind her,” Hilda said after noticing Dimitri frowning after the woman. “It takes her a while to get comfortable around people, but she’s really sweet.”

“I understand,” Dimitri nodded quickly. “There’s a sensitive matter I wanted to talk to you about. It seems Sylvain saw me leaving your room the other night and has gotten the wrong impression of our relationship.”

“And?” Hilda asked, unfazed by the implications of the situation.

“Does it not bother you? Him thinking of us in that way?” Dimitri felt his frown deepen. It was one thing for his honor to be tarnished, but the idea of him being the fault of rumors about another’s filled him with apprehension.

“It’s kind of why Claude had it set up the way he did, isn’t it?” She looked up at him and batted her eyes. “He wanted people to get the wrong idea.”

Dimitri thought on it and agreed. Even the nature of their meetings were facades in one big scheme of his. Claude paid no attention to the possible side effects of his plots as long as he achieved the goal without people becoming the wiser. Still, Hilda seemed fine with the outcome. “This may sound strange, but would you consider keeping up the ruse for a short time? I made a small promise to Sylvain that I’d go on a date and, well, that’s not really an area I’m experienced in.”

“You know Dimitri, men are usually the ones doing me the favors.” A smile spread across her face when she noticed the disappointment in his eyes. “But I’ll make an exception this one time. Just remember this when I need something in return.”

He let out a heavy exhale in relief to her agreement. His relaxed composure immediately stiffened when she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the dining hall. Her strength caught him off guard as he stumbled behind her, trying to keep up with her quick steps.

“What are you doing?” Dimitri asked.

She turned her head back and blew him a kiss with her free hand. “You’ll see. Just play along. A laugh here, a blush there, and it’ll all be perfect.” He felt his face redden. “There, that’s perfect now save it for Sylvain.”

They entered the dining hall. She glanced around the room and let out a small “aha” before pulling at Dimitri’s hand again. When she found the perfect spot, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“He’s right over there. Time to sell it,” she whispered under her breath.

He looked towards where she nodded and saw Sylvain watching them. Hilda lifted onto her toes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek while he focused on Sylvian. Dimitri felt his face instantly grow hot at the gesture.

Hilda leaned back and let out a sharp squeal of a laugh. “Oh Dimitri, you really know how to make a girl feel special,” she said loud enough for most of the dining hall to hear. 

So much for keeping the matter discreet, he thought to himself. Still, he had to respect the lengths she went to sell the charade. Dimitri let out an awkward laugh and placed his hands clumsily on her waist. She swayed back and forth in his arms, in some mock of a dance.

After only a few minutes, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stairs that led to the pond. She slowed but continued to hold his hand when they were a safe distance from Sylvain.

“Hilda? I think we can drop the act now,” he said, ready to free himself from the grip she had on him.

She shot him a dirty look. “Do you want to do this right or not? If Sylvain follows us, he’ll know something’s up if we stop now.”

He nodded reluctantly, not wanting to argue with the person doing him the favor. The least he could do is listen to her instructions. They stayed hand in hand until Hilda stopped in front of her room. She reached up and hugged him, whispering, “we’ll eat breakfast together and then break up tomorrow night.” They pulled apart, her leaving him alone and confused in the hall.

The next morning he dutifully followed her to the dining hall. Late by his standards, she refused to leave her bed until the ninth bell, despite his incessant knocking. She found an empty table near Sylvain to eat at alone with her insisting on feeding him. Dimitri feared her excessive behavior would cause Sylvain to cast doubt, but each nervous glance only saw Sylvain’s brimming smile.

Class offered no break of the act. Sylvain badgered him with questions throughout the professor’s lecture. He had hoped she would intervene, asking for their attention, but she only gave them a slight, curious look before continuing. He didn’t think he would regret Professor Byleth’s relaxed nature, but a more stern teacher would have been appreciated right then.

Hilda waited at the doorway for him when class dismissed. He thought about how he used to only have to escape Dedue to get a moment of solitude. His determined vassal was no match for Hilda or Sylvain. Just until this evening, he reassured himself as he forced a smile when they got to the dining hall.

Her lips covered his cheeks in quick, tender pecks, avoiding his lips. The thought of her kissing him in front of the entire academy under the pretense of a lie made him shudder. If that were to happen, it’d be his first. A fact that he’d never admit to anyone, though he thought his friends would speculate the same. He told himself he held no romantic notions around the idea of a first kiss, but he was thankful for her discretion, regardless.

They followed Sylvain out of the dining hall, making sure he’d be in his room for the big ending. Hilda insisted on embracing each other for what Dimitri thought felt like an eternity after the room to Sylvain’s door closed behind him.

“When I start yelling, run to Sylvain’s room and ask him to help you. Expect to owe me a big favor after this, no one breaks up with Hilda Valentine Goneril,” she whispered then pulled away, finally satisfied with the wait. “How dare you try to break up with me,” she screamed in the hallway. Numerous doors opened to watch the commotion. “I won’t allow it! We both know I’m the best thing that will ever happen to you!”

Dimitri froze, watching a wild-eyed Hilda scream at him. She jerked her head to the end of the hall, reminding him of his role in the show. He raced off, barging into Sylvain’s room without so much as offering the courtesy of a knock. 

“You have to help me,” he said between panicked breaths. “I tried to explain this wasn’t serious, and she’s gone mad.”

Sylvain gave him a mischievous smirk. “Leave it to me,” he said while cracking his knuckles. “This is the part I shine at.”

As if on queue, Hilda burst into the room. “Where is he?” she cried out.

“Hilda, Hilda, Hilda,” Sylvain said, defensively putting himself between Hilda and Dimitri. “Look at the poor guy, he’s practically shaking in fear. You don’t want a weak man like that.” Dimitri shot a disgruntled look at Sylvain over the insult but stayed quiet. “Someone like you needs someone like me. I know how to treat a woman of your caliber with the respect she deserves.” He winked at Hilda.

Hilda bowed her head a little and traced a small circle on the floor with her toe. She looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth pouting. “It just really hurts emotionally, you know?” she said in a small, sad voice. “Maybe if I had a big, strong man to take me into the town tonight for dessert, I’d feel a little better.” Her voice trailed off and tears threatened to escape in the corners of her eyes.

Sylvain gave her a wolfish smile. “It’ll be my pleasure,” he said and offered her arm.

She looped her arm into his. Her expression brightened immediately at the offer. Together they left Dimitri alone in Sylvain’s room. He watched them go, dumbfounded over what he had just witnessed. Dimitri couldn’t help but feel that somehow, both Hilda and Sylvain got exactly what they wanted.

He let out a chuckle, amused by the rapid turn of events, and left the room. Dedue may even find the situation entertaining when he tells him all the details of what transpired. The dim light of his own room greeted him with a promise of a return to his predictable life in the morning. Something he eagerly looked forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer than usual, but I didn't want to break it up into two parts. Sylvain/Hilda are my platonic OTP. I think their dynamic would be great, always cheering the other on.


End file.
